If you were a cynic in the run up to last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, you would have thought that the usual, stereotypical ‘Oscar’ type films would have come out on top (hello, 1917 and The Irishman). But instead, the Academy Awards went for the more left-field and deserving choice for Best Picture. The Academy often gets it wrong but in the case of some recent winners like The Shape of Water, Moonlight or even The Artist, they have gotten it really right. Parasite joins those movies in being a deserving Oscar winner that will hopefully find a massive audience thanks to its newfound exposure.

There are a couple of reasons why Parasite‘s Oscar wins were such a big shock, not least the fact that it is a South Korean film. Thankfully, this shows an open-mindedness from the Oscar voters this year that has not always been seen previously. Yet, the other surprising thing about Parasite‘s victory is how it does not fit easily into any particular genre. It is one part comedy, one part social satire, one part horror and all parts brilliant.

It is also one of those tricky movies to talk about in that to say anything could lead to spoilers. I will try to avoid giving anything away by saying that it is simply about the Kim family who are living in poverty and hatch a scheme to make money from the wealthier, happier Park family by working for them. To say that all does not go according to plan would be an understatement. What initially starts as a comedy (and stays that way for nearly two thirds of its run-time) twists and turns until it becomes a completely different type of movie entirely by the end.

The script by director Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won is note perfect and comes to together in satisfying ways that will surely reward repeat viewings. The cast are also all perfect with Song Kang-ho being the standout as the head of the Kim family; his facial movements suggest years of resentment due to his social status. The set design is also brilliantly effective as the Park family home has seemingly endless stairs that suggest hidden depths underneath. Ultimately, it all comes together to make a timely allegory about social status.

If you have seen Bong Joon-ho’s other recent parable about social divides, Snowpiercer, then you will have an idea of what he is aiming for. Whatever the case, Joon-ho has established himself as a major director who can effortlessly blend wildly different genres together to make a satisfying whole. How good is Parasite? Lets just say that if you put it in a battle with most other movies, it will come out on top. Thank the movie gods that people have taken notice.

Image Credit: File:Parasite..2019.jpg, Kinocine PARKJEAHWAN4wiki, Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0), some rights reserved.

Disclaimer Notice: Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own. Any images (copyrighted or otherwise) have been used according to Creative Commons and if needed, have been referenced to the best of my knowledge.

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