Parasite | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This was the last Best Picture nominee that I had to see (because it's taking such a long time to get a proper release in the UK!), and without giving anything away, I pretty much accidentally saved the best til last.

The Kim family are unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. So when they become involved with the Park family, it feels like things are finally starting to look up. But when the Kim family discover something they shouldn't, the course of their lives changes forever.

Wow.

I had heard good things about this film, but deliberately made sure that I knew absolutely nothing about it so that I could be as surprised as possible when I watched it. But to be honest, surprised is an understatement. And my advice would be to know as little as possible before going in.

From the moment the movie starts, the story and characters are so interesting and relatable that you already feel like you know them. And this continues all the way through the film, particularly when it comes to the Kim family, who you can't help but root for even if you don't agree with their actions.

Both the story itself and the Kim family are so smart and ruthless, it's admirable. And this all comes down to the writing. The screenplay was written by Bong Joon-ho (who also directed the film) and Han Jin-won and it is amazing.
One of the best things about the way that this was written was the characters. They were so well written with unique personalities, even the ones that you don't think will be as important as they are. But the best thing about these characters is that nearly every single one is so morally grey that the story in itself bends and shapes itself around them. This story is all about the characters; they run the show.

You wouldn't expect a story like this to be as exciting as it is, but there are so many moments when you're on the edge of your seat and literally can't look away. There was no scene that felt unnecessary. And as well as this, it's so compelling that you barely feel the 2 hour 15 minute run time.

It's actually insane to me that none of the actors are really being talked about or receiving accolades over awards season. The members of the Kim family, in particular, were all amazing actors. The film stars Song Kang-ho as Kim Ki-taek, Choi Woo-shik as Kim Ki-woo, Park So-dam as Kim Ki-jeong and Chang Hyae-jin as Chung-sook, and all of them were so amazing.
But I'm calling specific attention to Song Kang-ho, who was incredible!

I remember getting to about an hour and a half and thinking: 'This is amazing. Now all it needs is a ______'. And then the ______ happened and just took everything to the next level. And this scene in particular was EPIC!

So to sum up my review, it was amazing from start to finish - and if I had my way, it would 100% win Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday!

Overall, the plot, score, writing and direction were all stunning, and I can't wait to see it again!

9/10

Lou