Parasite: A Film Review

Author: Marisa Reyes-Pacheco

I haven’t been able to stop talking about Parasite (2019), the new highly raved about film by writer and director Bong Joon-ho. Deemed “the best film of 2019” by many critics, I might just have to agree. Based on the film’s trailer, I did not anticipate literally anything that happened. I can only speak for myself, but I know very well that I was not the only person in the theater that felt this way; a two hour film has never been able to keep my attention without any distractions the way this one did. Categorized as a comedy/drama/thriller, the R-rating for this film is completely necessary and may have lost my interest, had it been rated differently.

Spoken almost entirely in Korean, the film focuses on the dynamic of the poor, working-class Kim family. They are seemingly at rock bottom with their constant odd-jobs falling short on pay and fair working conditions. When the opportunity arises for the son, Kim Ki-woo, to become a tutor for a rich family, he takes advantage of the opening positions that they have — and create — to eventually get his entire family employed.

As the Kim family begins working for the Parks, who live life completely opposite compared to them, it became more apparent that this film was much more politically driven than I had anticipated. The film creates an interesting narrative surrounding the social classes, but does so without ever mentioning either family’s “rank.” This serves later on as the main premise for conflict and eventually: chaos. Through being able to visualize both families side by side, the director’s intentions become clearer as audiences dive deeper into the world that is either unknown to them or very close to home. Through the skilled writing, cinematography and acting, Parasite slowly becomes something so uniquely itself that I can strongly say, and believe, that no film has evoked the emotional response of a theater the same way.

In its entire two hours and twelve minutes, I almost became worried when the film began to give hints at an ending. At an ideal ending point, there was still more to this story Joon-ho felt needed to be told; so he continued. I am someone that thoroughly enjoys watching films, but I’m not kidding when I say I have the attention span of a fourth grader. It is genuinely so hard for me to pay attention to things, let alone a film that is closer to two hours than it is to one. This being said; Parasite played with my emotions in the best way. At the end of one major event, I thought it was going to be the end, yet the film continued… and I was so thankful it did. My eyes could not look away from the screen in front of me. Another major event went by and surely that had to be the ending point… nope! This cycle continued at least three times, before a completely unexpected ending allowed the film to come to a close. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with films: when I feel like one of the beats could have made the perfect ending point and wishing the filmmaker would have just left it alone. This may be the first film to ever make me change my very stubborn opinions.

I had no idea what Parasite was going to end up being when I sat down in the theater. By the films ending, I knew there was no other possible way that any other outside filmmakers could make this film better than it already is. Carefully articulated, socially conscious and beautifully executed, this is a film I will recommend to everyone I know until the end of time.

Marisa Reyes-Pacheco | KXSU Arts Reporter