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A little bit overrated, but a very fine movie. It's great we got a foreign movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture, though I would have given that to many foriegn movies, including one for the first ceremony in 1927: Metropolis. As for this year, I'd have given the award to The Lighthouse, and my first choice for a Korean best picture so far would by Oldboy.
What do you think of the movie Parasite (2019)?
One thing about Parasite is that I read it was inspired by the movie High and Low (1963), and that makes sense. Both movies deal with the same themes, however, High and Low may be more plot driven, where as Parasite is more character driven. Does that make Parasite a the more powerful movie, compared to it's inspired HIgh and Low maybe?
A little bit overrated, but a very fine movie.
Excellent cast - very energetic!
But my attention lagged a few times as the movie progressed. And I think I won’t watch it a second time. (Might change my mind though.)
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I don't think the movie is overrated.
This is a wise story, it is about the basics of the social structure of the world.
There are many misinterpretations of this film. First of all: who exactly is a parasite here?
I would say there is only 1 character who is definetely a parasite - and even more important how he became a guy like this.
The author explains this in almost direct text. The film academies in Hollywood grabbed it right away and granted the Oscar - and it's strange to me why average audience misses it.
This is a wise story, it is about the basics of the social structure of the world.
There are many misinterpretations of this film. First of all: who exactly is a parasite here?
I would say there is only 1 character who is definetely a parasite - and even more important how he became a guy like this.
The author explains this in almost direct text. The film academies in Hollywood grabbed it right away and granted the Oscar - and it's strange to me why average audience misses it.
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Just watched it on Netflix... finally got around to seeing this film, and I absolutely loved it. I posted this in the What Have you Seen Lately thread, but figured I'd also post this in a dedicated thread to the film:
Parasite (2019, Bong Joon-Ho)
A hilarious and gruesome examination of poverty and it's a film that follows up one similar themes as to his surprise hit Snowpiercer, a film which made my top 25 of the 2010s. I don't think Parasite is quite as original, off the wall, or surprising as Snowpiercer, but it's a near great film and certainly worthy of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The ironic thing is, despite the director's political leanings and open criticisms of capitalism as well as his free-wheeling style in discussion his film's interpretations, I actually see Parasite as a very pro-capitalist film. Wealth inequality is obviously a huge problem around the world and in the United States, but something one doesn't see is the poor creating jobs and opportunities for the other poor. I believe that Bong Joon-Ho inadvertently created one of the most pro-capitalist films I've seen in a long time. Afterall, it is the Parks who hire the Kims with their extremely high income and through his wealth he is able to create jobs and provide income for four members of the extremely impoverished Kim family. And regardless of the fact that the Kim family is conning their way into the Parks' home and life, the fact is the son does know how to teach English, the daughter, in a way, does figure out something about teaching art, the father does truly learn to drive and be a chauffer, and the mother does learn to become a housekeeper. So by wealth, we have a transference of an increased skill set and increased income which could, if all fell into place, have led to upward social mobility.
The fact that there are so many impoverished neighborhoods, just as where the Kim family lives and "leaches" of their neighbors and surroundings speaks less to the evils of capitalism, and more to the evils of what happens in neighborhoods, communities, and cities where capitalism doesn't exist and there is little opportunity to generate income or revenue to learn skills and generate capital.
I really did love this film. I do admire how Bong Joon-Ho, despite his themes of the film, actually shows the Park family as very good people and it's a film that does give a hard look at poverty and some of the situations and predicaments that poverty puts people into. In a way some of the themes and ideas are reminiscent of my favorite musical of all-time My Fair Lady, which in turn is also a film/musical/play written by a very anti-capitalist writer that accidentally has a very pro-capitalist message.
Also I must say, Parasite is a beautiful film and just like Snowpiercer there's a great sense of continuity, camera placement, mise en scene, framing, and editing. At no point did I ever lose track of where I was, what was going on, and people and objects spatial relationship to one another, and the pacing is such that it allows the film to breath and stretch a little bit. This is a film that a frantic filmmaker who is all over the place and undisciplined such as Chris Nolan could take some notes from.
A week point is on characterization. It's not that a film like this needs to be a great character study, but each character despite being funny and genuinely interesting and unique even, really lacked any development beyond being a archetype.
Still a great film, and I'm tempted to give it my highest rating, but some of the carnage at the end, and the film going into full 80's slasher horror, and Hell... even People Under the Stairs mode, while entertaining, shocking, and great fun... it borders on the line of being too much of a tonal shift.
GRADE: A
Parasite (2019, Bong Joon-Ho)
A hilarious and gruesome examination of poverty and it's a film that follows up one similar themes as to his surprise hit Snowpiercer, a film which made my top 25 of the 2010s. I don't think Parasite is quite as original, off the wall, or surprising as Snowpiercer, but it's a near great film and certainly worthy of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The ironic thing is, despite the director's political leanings and open criticisms of capitalism as well as his free-wheeling style in discussion his film's interpretations, I actually see Parasite as a very pro-capitalist film. Wealth inequality is obviously a huge problem around the world and in the United States, but something one doesn't see is the poor creating jobs and opportunities for the other poor. I believe that Bong Joon-Ho inadvertently created one of the most pro-capitalist films I've seen in a long time. Afterall, it is the Parks who hire the Kims with their extremely high income and through his wealth he is able to create jobs and provide income for four members of the extremely impoverished Kim family. And regardless of the fact that the Kim family is conning their way into the Parks' home and life, the fact is the son does know how to teach English, the daughter, in a way, does figure out something about teaching art, the father does truly learn to drive and be a chauffer, and the mother does learn to become a housekeeper. So by wealth, we have a transference of an increased skill set and increased income which could, if all fell into place, have led to upward social mobility.
The fact that there are so many impoverished neighborhoods, just as where the Kim family lives and "leaches" of their neighbors and surroundings speaks less to the evils of capitalism, and more to the evils of what happens in neighborhoods, communities, and cities where capitalism doesn't exist and there is little opportunity to generate income or revenue to learn skills and generate capital.
I really did love this film. I do admire how Bong Joon-Ho, despite his themes of the film, actually shows the Park family as very good people and it's a film that does give a hard look at poverty and some of the situations and predicaments that poverty puts people into. In a way some of the themes and ideas are reminiscent of my favorite musical of all-time My Fair Lady, which in turn is also a film/musical/play written by a very anti-capitalist writer that accidentally has a very pro-capitalist message.
Also I must say, Parasite is a beautiful film and just like Snowpiercer there's a great sense of continuity, camera placement, mise en scene, framing, and editing. At no point did I ever lose track of where I was, what was going on, and people and objects spatial relationship to one another, and the pacing is such that it allows the film to breath and stretch a little bit. This is a film that a frantic filmmaker who is all over the place and undisciplined such as Chris Nolan could take some notes from.
A week point is on characterization. It's not that a film like this needs to be a great character study, but each character despite being funny and genuinely interesting and unique even, really lacked any development beyond being a archetype.
Still a great film, and I'm tempted to give it my highest rating, but some of the carnage at the end, and the film going into full 80's slasher horror, and Hell... even People Under the Stairs mode, while entertaining, shocking, and great fun... it borders on the line of being too much of a tonal shift.
GRADE: A
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One thing about Parasite is that I read it was inspired by the movie High and Low (1963), and that makes sense. Both movies deal with the same themes, however, High and Low may be more plot driven, where as Parasite is more character driven. Does that make Parasite a the more powerful movie, compared to it's inspired HIgh and Low maybe?
Dang it; I didn't answer your question. Let me try again. I think "more powerful" is subjective based on which the viewer prefers; character or story. Personally I love characters over story, although I love a good story too, so I would say Parasite edges out High and Low ever so slightly. High and Low is still an excellent film and well worthy of all of its praise. I just think Parasite appeals to me slightly more because it's about the characters over the story.
The ending of Parasite has always fascinated me because it shows the huge gap in their caste system that I vaguely understand that I fear so many Western audiences wouldn't quite grasp. It does require a smidge of prior knowledge of Korean culture. Anyone can appreciate the whole film of course. Knowing that nuance is certainly helpful though.
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