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Parasite: One Of The Best Movies Of The Decade

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'Parasite' has been out for a while, but more and more people are beginning to see this incredible movie. Here are our thoughts…

Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. (via Google)

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Jeff D Lowe (97/100): ‘Parasite’ is a cinematic stroke of genius and a late entry to the list of the decade’s best movies. Bon Joon-ho’s latest movie is a brilliant (natural, not at all ham-fisted) social commentary told in a way so unique and different that it’s unlike any story you’ve seen on screen.

-- I will avoid spoilers, KenJac gets into spoilers after --

This gripping drama and, at times, thriller, will hook you right from the start. It’s dark, eerie and ominous throughout, painting a grim, but raw, picture of society. The mystery and tension at every turn are backed by a story that leaves you questioning who to root for and against. ‘Parasite’ will cause you to think and comprehend every small action of the characters, but still, find a way to entertain you beyond belief.

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While the script and performances bring a ton to the table (it’s a pretty funny movie at times, too), the way Bong Joon-ho presents the story visually might be the very best part. There are very few movies I can watch and think, “that would be just as amazing without any dialogue whatsoever.” 'Parasite' is one of those movies. Every shot, from the way it is framed, right on down to the set design is perfection. Look at the house design, a symbol for the upper-class and rich in the movie…

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…or the design of the slums of South Korea, below the hill in which the luxurious house rests upon…

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Every visual element was presented in a way that it could tell the story on its own.

I even hate showing too many snapshots from the movie, you’ll just have to take my word and go and see it. It’s a truly stunning movie to look at.
Here’s the thing, I know a lot of people might be turned off by a movie based on a review or synopsis that teases its social commentary, whether it be about class or, like in most of Bong Joon-ho’s movies, climate change (in ‘Parasite’ we see how it impacts the different classes of South Korea). But he’s able to finesse it all together in such a subtle way that it never, not once, distracts from the movie’s overall entertainment value.

‘Parasite’ is one of the best movies of both 2019 and the decade and is a sure-fire, stone-cold-lock must-see picture.

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KenJac (100/100): It’s not very often that a foreign-language movie comes on to the scene and blows the doors off of its Hollywood competition. The black comedy/thriller ‘Parasite’ does just that, joining the ranks of films like ‘City of God’, ‘Roma’ and more. For those of you familiar with its director, Bong Joon-ho (‘Snowpiercer’, ‘The Host’, ‘Okja’ and ‘Memories of Murder’), I’m very happy to say that I think this is his best work. He maxed out the meter of every metric you could possibly analyze a film in and then some. I’m giving it a 100/100, a rating I’ve never given out since we started the podcast a few years ago.

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While it just won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the film still doesn’t have a ton of exposure here yet. So for those of you that haven’t watched the trailer, here is the IMDB description: “All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes a peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.” This is a painfully base description, but I’ll go a little deeper (still no spoilers) on it now. For those of you that want to go into it with a totally blank slate, stop reading now.

The Kim family are essentially broke losers. They live in a basement apartment at the bottom of a hill in a big city, scrounging together whatever money they can. Kevin, their son, cons his way into a job as a tutor with the ultra-wealthy Park family through the recommendation of a friend. Mrs. Park is a very simple and overly-trusting housewife and Kevin manipulates her into gradually firing the existing house-staff and unknowingly hiring his sister, father, and mother for the well-paying jobs. The Kims live, as the title suggests, like a parasite in the Park family home.

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Bong starts you through the rough and gross world of the Kims, who you initially latch onto as the protagonists. As the Park family is introduced, he makes you change key to now be on their side. This isn’t necessarily due to the actions of the family, but more so due to the aesthetic of the Park home and their lifestyle. Our brains are hardwired to look at something like a post century modern home and associate it with money, beauty, fame, etc. In truth, as the film progresses, you realize that neither of the families is the good guys. The Parks are holier-than-thou, frequently bashing on the poor despite the fact that their entire lifestyle is made possible by the labor of their staff. The Kims are endearing at first, but also hypocritical as they step on fellow poor people to climb the social ladder.

One of the best aspects of the movie is that you don’t realize the commentary on class is happening because it is so god damn entertaining. The cast is perfect down to the minutiae, but I was particularly impressed with the performance of Kang-ho Song, who frequently works with Bong. He plays the Kim family father and does a great job showing the struggle of a man trying to reconcile doing something morally wrong with simply trying to live. Bong shot the movie with an expertise that is hard to measure. You go down…down….downhill to get to the slum-world of the Kims while going uphill constantly to the polished and proper world of the Parks. The Kim’s world is uneven and messy while the Park’s is perfectly framed and exquisite in every way.

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Bong also paces the film so that you are constantly trying to find an ethical center. After the first act, the next two begin a downhill ride where everything hangs on an incredibly suspenseful thread. So while you’re still trying to find the aforementioned ethical center, the plot is slowly unraveling into a devastating finish. The film also earns it’s dual-genre of black comedy and thriller. There is laugh-out-loud humor throughout, along with crafty moments that make you "ooooooh" and "ahhhhh." That is mitigated by some moments that pull the rug out from beneath the audience, keeping you at the edge of your seat as the schemers plot comes crashing back down to earth.

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I can’t understate how incredible this final act is. You’ll be surprised, confused, sad and most of all astounded. As I said, the entire movie is a vain attempt by the audience to latch on to something or someone to root for, which makes the ending all the more impactful. You realize there wasn’t any particular person as so much a system to blame.

Overall, ‘Parasite’ is simply a masterpiece. It’s perfect in every technical category while making a subtle, yet loud point. As far as Oscar season goes, it deserves to be nominated for best picture (and win in my opinion). I’d stake my life on it winning best international movie, and it should be nominated for best directing and cinematography as well.


The movie is Officially Buttered and the highest-rated movie in our database of rankings with all four scores (Jeff, KenJac, Trill and the Audience) combined. We did an in-depth review of the movie on Lights Camera Barstool and will be diving into 'The Irishman' and 'Knives Out' later in the week. Make sure to rate all 2019 and 2018 movies in the links below.

2019:
January: https://goo.gl/forms/tyUaQnv8QgMyHfcf1
February: https://goo.gl/forms/N98XcvIy3SukhrIw2
March: https://goo.gl/forms/4QbmSMj6wK0feMZ13
April: https://forms.gle/uRUg5xPyfsE8bk9B6
May: https://forms.gle/cdBDBdjNcHZ93sog6
June: https://forms.gle/z3cK9LSRCzNCwxYS8
July: https://forms.gle/8i1B8dMgSADefyU5A
August: https://forms.gle/4ywzQC6BNR818YDU9
September: https://forms.gle/an7c9p5dV1TZHwNK9
October: https://forms.gle/wjyrNUxbX8MYVLHUA
November: https://forms.gle/yVJjxeuNspX2GNjSA

2018:
January: https://goo.gl/forms/nNzX19HbebeQMUAA3
February: https://goo.gl/forms/DWG9TJMISLzUunsu2
March: https://goo.gl/forms/k0dL5ozOrhwJ2Bk03
April: https://goo.gl/forms/Z218hqWq3XGyqi9C3
May: https://goo.gl/forms/f5aYcpJHnBMmkcs52
June: https://goo.gl/forms/1sfizEF3LCTcXFrh2
July: https://goo.gl/forms/czBxbSMjxAUC6CiI3
August: https://goo.gl/forms/QrUn8VtKXvshaWoO2
September: https://goo.gl/forms/99QlmfQM9AQC5xFj2
October: https://goo.gl/forms/nNzX19HbebeQMUAA3
November: https://goo.gl/forms/vhhLrmGdJUnEBeqn1
December: https://goo.gl/forms/waFMZz5jmTCBJkp43