Movie Review: Parasite

After months of hearing about how good Bong Joon-ho’s newest film Parasite was, I was ecstatic to see that it was finally coming to Amazon Prime Video for streaming. As soon as I had a chance, I sat down and decided to watch what’s looking more and more like a Best Picture contender for the upcoming Academy Awards. Upon watching, I wasn’t disappointed to say the least. I really can’t stop thinking about this film.

Bong Joon-ho is masterful at crafting compelling, character-driven stories. His acceptance speech at the Golden Globes explaining how overcoming the 2-inch barrier of subtitles opens a whole world of cinema is absolutely right, and this movie is a perfect example of that. Not even five minutes into the film and I completely forgot I was watching a film in another language. The story is wildly compelling, causing this film’s 132 minute runtime to fly by.

This film is both a psychological thriller, social commentary, and at times, a comedy. Parasite creates an atmosphere of both familiarity and uncomfortability, and because of that, is unlike most films I’ve ever seen. Its story is very straightforward, but there are still plenty of twists and unexpected plot points that keep this movie from becoming predictable.

The direction is incredible and propels an exceptionally written screenplay. Each performance is unique and adds something important to the movie as a whole. I was on the edge of my seat for the back half of the film, and moved by its socially conscious albeit somewhat unrealistic conclusion. Not only will this film entertain you, but it will stick with you and make you think after it ends.

I highly recommend checking out Parasite before the Oscars next month. Having seen all of the frontrunners for Best Picture, I could easily see Parasite taking home that prestigious reward. It would be highly deserved.

Score: 10/10