Parasite is a somewhat genre-less film about a poor family, the Kims, and the way in which they con their way into the lives and household of a rich family, the Parks. This is until additional layers are revealed and it all begins to unravel for the Kims, like a cheap pass-the-parcel. I describe the film as genre-less, but it represents a number of different genres throughout the film, including satire, social commentary, comedy, thriller and maybe even horror.
As the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture Oscar, I was expecting good things and it did not disappoint. I loved the flawed and relatable family, the Kims, and the way in which director Bong Joon-ho lets the audience in on the con, like an early Alfred Hitchcock film. The Kims forge documents, invent aliases and rehearse their lines, as if they are appearing in the South Korean version of ‘The Hustle’ – back when The Hustle was good. However this isn’t the main storyline in the film, as it takes a sharp tonal swerve away from the quite easy-going in-on-the-con comedy, towards a thriller. However the social commentary remains.
The film is both a damning indictment on class divide and an exploration of class aspirationalism. The Kims are depicted as a close family, often crammed into small spaces or perching on furniture, whilst the Parks are more often than not very separate and as such much more easily manipulated. The film is packed with metaphors and symbolism, some of which I am sure will be lost in translation or underappreciated in the western world. We understand it, but we don’t get it (like in White Men Can’t Jump when Wesley Snipes is telling Woody Harrelson that he can listen to Jimi Hendrix but he can’t hear him). And it still won the Best Picture Oscar.
The film reminds me a lot of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, in that it is a social commentary comedy that straddles numerous genres, makes you think and is probably more enjoyable the second time you watch it. Admittedly, I don’t think a Jordan Peele-directed social commentary on the class divide in America with the exact same storyline would have been winning an Oscar, but that’s a debate for a different day. Throughout the film I was considering who the parasite was. I changed my mind a number of times. I feel like every character in the film is in some way the parasite. Even the concept of hope exists as a parasite.
At one point the Kims discuss the Parks, saying “they are nice because they are rich,” before adding “I’d be nice too.” They probably wouldn’t. But I still love the family. The film is well worth a watch. In the opening week in the UK, Odeon originally only showed it in 15 of 120 cinemas. It is in much more now and I’d recommend watching it while it is still in cinemas near you.
ClingFilm 