(Image taken from amazon.com)
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho took home four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Directing, International Feature Film, and Writing (Original Screenplay) for his film Parasite. The film won the most awards at the 2020 Oscars and became the first Non-English film in Oscar history to win Best Picture, and the first film from South Korea to be nominated for International Feature Film. All I can say: it's about time.
Spoilers ahead.
Parasite starts with a comical feeling, where we are introduced to the Kim family struggling to make a living, and eventually, they conjure a plot to get employed by a wealthy family—the Parks. Ki-woo forges his university documents, so he can get hired as a tutor for the Parks' daughter, Da-hye. After receiving the job, he realizes how easy it was to gain a lucrative opportunity in the Park home and decides to put the rest of his family on to the scheme.
The Kims con their way into the home, where Ki-woo's sister, Ki-jung, passes as an art therapist for the Parks' son; Da-song, his father as the Parks family's designated chauffeur; and his mother as a housekeeper. Working in the Park home becomes a place of paradise, where we see how the poor and rich life. Inevitably, things become a bit more complicated, spiraling into a tragic ending that illustrates Joon-ho’s perception of the dystopia of the world.
Now, let me just say, that I have watched this film three times, and it is a masterpiece. You witness the bondage between a united family, despite their poor living situation. You can't help but admire their resilience to elevate themselves. Sure, the scheme to trick the Park family was dishonest and shady, but as a viewer, you do sympathize with the Kims.
One of the important takeaways of Parasite for me is how Bong Joon-ho heavily touches on class inequality between the Kim and Parks families. The Parks' privilege and wealth become perceptible since they have the power to dictate how the Kims act in their jobs. They live comfortable and happy lives, which makes them oblivious to those who are still considered "lower" than them. I feel like that this is what drives the narration of the story, especially when thinking about class warfare.
There is a battle between the wealthy and poor to thrive separately in their social classes while being dependent on one another. Many critics have narrowed their expectations for Parasite, especially when considering international film craft and performance; but I believe that this film continues to stand on its own defying these grounded expectations.
"Performing" an identity becomes central to gain opportunities, which is their method of survival. If they all played their cards right, there's a chance that they will have decent lives—but some of us know that is not the case. Although Joon-ho does well with making us laugh here and there about the two families, I feel that he makes a great effort to open our eyes to the major gap between the wealthy and the rest of the world.
If you haven't watched Parasite yet, I highly recommend it. There is an appeal to the humor and tragedy of this film, which can help us all think about how society is receptive to existing social classes.
You can purchase the movie on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, or YouTube. But, if you feel like taking a stroll downtown sometime this week, it’s still premiering in your local Bowtie Theaters (ticket discounts for all Skid students when you show your ID.