‘Parasite’ is Bong Joon Ho’s latest creation, with other titles under his belt such as the 2003 movie ‘Memories of Murder’ and the 2013 English language film ‘Snowpiercer.’ The movie went on to win Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Golden Globes.
‘Parasite’ is the film that introduced Bong more to the American award show circuit, with nominations from not only the Golden Globes, but the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Oscars as well.
Though the plot may not have been the most unique at the beginning, the several twists and turns added into it set the movie up for success. The movie has been backed up by many great reviews, as well as a win of the Cannes Festival most prestigious award, the Palme d’Or. Or, as many others have put it, ‘the Bong d’Or’.
This slew of award nominations is truly well deserved. His critically acclaimed directing is driven by the perfect timing and sequencing of each frame. Every pause is deliberate, with a purposeful hand overseeing the production. The scene that is the best example of this is one from ‘Parasite’. Beware of spoilers below!
Towards the beginning of the middle of the movie, the Kim family has almost gotten rid of every staff member but the resident nanny. The problem is, the nanny attended to the house even before the wealthy Park family. She was there when the house formerly belonged to an architect. The overall plan to kick the nanny out is long and complicated, but the scene in which the plan is carried out is a cinematic masterpiece. It all ends with the scene speeding up, to a reveal the nanny’s “tuberculosis”. Though, that was a set up by the Kim family. The nanny only has an allergy to peaches, which was exploited to the highest degree.
Even beyond that scene, the masterpiece of a film includes hard hitting topics such as class disparity and even includes a twist that is fitting for the story, yet a twist that no one expected. The foreshadowing and lighting are some of the main keys to give away the twist, and yet no one noticed. This is the sort of film that when you rewatch it, you notice these little details like lighting and other foreshadowing, and everything clicks. You wonder, “How did I not see that?”
As Bong Joon Ho himself said, “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
