Suffice it to say here, that the film follows the story of the Kim family who we see living a relatively precarious existence in a semi basement flat in downtown Seoul. Their search for a way out of this world, leads them to cross paths with the Parks, a wealthy and glamorous family who live in a palatial residence across the city, designed by a renowned Korean architect.
Events subsequently escalate, to at times an almost unbelievable extent, but the narrative is so intelligently structured that you are unquestionably carried along for the ride. The film has much to say on issues surrounding class relations and wealth inequality, and asks the fundamental question of the audience - who are the real parasites in the piece?
The Park’s house looms large over proceedings, with it’s clean modernist architectural style - all the more impressive when you learn that it was a set purpose built from scratch for the film. The attention to detail in the mise en scene in the interior is also breathtaking, with authentic touches such as the display of handbags in the walk in wardrobe, the elaborately stocked china cabinet, and the pickled fruits and vegetables in the basement adding real depth and colour to the setting.
Much has been made of the ensemble cast, and it is certainly hard to pick a standout performance from the film. The Kims are entirely believable as a family unit, even as their lives spin ever further out of control, but it is Woo-sik Choi as Kim Ki-woo who emerges as the closest thing the film has to a protagonist - it is his actions which drive the plot, and his philosophical musings which provide much food for thought.
Yeo-jeong Jo is also wonderful as the ‘madame’ of the Park family, a heady mix of naivety, childishness and insecurity, followed everywhere by her beloved and obedient dogs Zoonie, Berry and Foo Foo, who has a habit of saying choice phrases in her finest and most sophisticated English, to excellent comic effect. It is her desperate desire to ‘keep up with the Lees’ (as it were) that ultimately allows the Kims to further intertwine the lives of the two families.
Parasite deftly toes the line between taught psychological thriller, and biting social satire, blurring the boundaries between the genres. There are more laugh out loud moments that in most so-called comedy films, but as many if not more scenes of sheer hand over mouth tension and suspense. Drawing clear influence from Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Park Chan Wook’s The Handmaiden, Director Bong’s creation is however entirely unique, and may just be his masterpiece.
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