Retro-Reviews: Parasite (SPOILERS)

No plan at all...

For a majority of last year, one film has gained major traction across the globe. That film is none other than Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite. To say the anticipation I had for seeing this film was high would be such an understatement that I won't even go into the details, but simply put, while I can't say it was my favorite film of 2019 or even the entire decade, I will say that this is a film that is worthy of all the praise it gets and then some. With its recent sweep of wins at the Oscars this year, including Best Picture, let's get into why Parasite is a timeless gem:

UPS

1. Bong Joon-Ho. A good movie needs a good director, and thankfully, Parasite has a great one in Bong. He has such a way with his craft that I don't think this movie would work as well as it did if not for his incredible skill. Every moment, every shot, every choice, all of it has meaning and nothing feels wasteful. Bong makes use of everything at his disposal and his passion for making this film is felt constantly. 
2. The message and overall theme. Bong has the theme of class structure and how capitalism affects society play a major part in his films. This one is no different and features a story that is built around these themes. What I like most is that the message is presented with such subtlety and nuance that it never feels preachy and instead feels like an organic part of the story. There are no real heroes or villains; just people trying to get by in a world that makes their situations so. It makes for a very complicated and engaging plot with so many twists and turns that it's hard not to get invested.
3. Going hand in hand with the message, the tone undergoes a gradual shift throughout the film that is also presented with subtlety. At first glance, it seems we are experiencing a dark comedy at play, which then transitions into a dramatic thriller, before concluding as a full-blown tragedy. Such massive tonal shifts would be jarring elsewhere, but here it works. The ending is the culmination of all of this, being utterly depressing as a whole yet still holding onto a sliver of hope that things could get better, which we pray they will.

DOWNS

It's hard to find fault with this film in all honesty.

OVERALL

Parasite is, again, not my favorite film of 2019, but I am glad, no, overjoyed that it got such high praise and recognition as everything accomplished in this film makes it deserving of that.

And that's it for this post, guys! Tune in for more coming your way :)