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Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Parasite



You may have read that filmmaker Martin Scorsese has recently referred to serial Marvel movies as “not cinema” and encouraged theaters and theatergoers to embrace “cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” Quite a mouthful. Perhaps a simpler approach would have been to just tell everyone to go see Parasite.

Visionary director Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer) has created a social commentary, black-comedy thriller, in subtitles, about a family in modern-day Korea — and it is wholly entertaining. Almost every element in that previous sentence is the opposite of a modern crowd-pleaser, but this is the 2019 film that is most likely to have audiences as nervous and engaged as they were watching Avengers Endgame.

In Parasite, Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) is referred by a friend to tutor the daughter of a wealthy family. He is the son in a family of four that needs the income. To tell you more would be a disservice. However, I will tell you that it explores themes of class and humanity, and I’ll share that every brilliant shot of this film matters to theme and story.

Unlike most thrillers that descend as the plot unfolds, Parasite works from start to finish. Once the story “crosses the line” and the intensity boils, the characters stay true to their role and the realism stays steady.

In a nutshell: A masterfully executed thriller and social commentary.

Award potential: As the winner of this year’s Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival already, it has a chance at top nominations. Potential for Best Picture, Best Foreign Film, and Best Director. Kang-ho Song, who plays the father, is a wild card for Best Actor.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

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