Parasite Movie Review! // worthy of all oscars

Hi friends! I’m here to review The Movie. The movie that made history, opened up many Americans to international cinema, and created a whole fandom. And yes, I’m talking about Parasite*, directed by Bong Joon-Ho. I watched it and THOUGHTS. Lots of thoughts. And this will be spoiler-free but I’m happy to make a spoilery review if anyone wishes!

*if you have no idea what i’m going on about, please google the movie and the oscars. it is astounding, what the man has accomplished.

speechless.

That is quite honestly the only word I can use to describe my feelings towards this movie. I would recommend watching it as blind as possible, because experiencing this with no concept of what might happen? It’s the best way!

Parasite is not a happy movie. I mean, there are comedic parts but that in no way controls the direction of the movie. It is starkly realistic at times, and that’s part of what makes it so utterly brilliant.

This is my third Bong Joon-Ho film, and every movie ends the same. Not in content, but in how the ending is quiet. It reflects the theme of the movie. It brings it back around. In all honesty, I prefer these endings to the classic dramatic flair of a normal American one. I think it sticks with my heart more.

“It’s not about telling you how to change the world or how you should act because something is bad, but rather showing you the terrible, explosive weight of reality. That’s what I believe is the beauty of cinema.”

– Bong Joon-Ho

There aren’t a huge amount of characters, yet every single one plays a huge role in the plot. About one-third of the way through the movie, everything changed. As a viewer, we watch the bubbling pot of emotions rise up for some of the characters, while others remain totally unbothered. I know that sounds so vague. But honestly, this film deals with class discrimination. It deals with parasitism, with the more obvious poor but the subtle leeching of the rich. The ending? Spectacular. It ends with harsh reality, as the final killing blow against all hope the audience might have had, and a last reminder of the point of the entire movie.

To conclude before I slip up and scream a spoiler all in caps, this was exciting and original and important and memorable. I adored it.