Parasite is the Palme d'Or-winning latest release from Boong Jon-ho, director of Okja and The Host. The film stars Choi Woo-sik and Park So-dam as adult siblings living in a dingy basement apartment with their unemployed parents. When Ki-woo (Woo-sik) lands a job tutoring the daughter of a mega-rich architect, he and his family become entangled in the lives of their wealthy benefactors.
Parasite is a beautifully designed piece of cinema that pulls off its wild and nerve-wracking narrative with a sense of order and causality. Ki-woo's family, who lounge about in sweatpants and dirty T-shirts at home, manage to blend seamlessly into the Park family's luxurious home by adopting sleek, minimalist costumes that hide their impoverished circumstances. (Though as Ki-woo's father Kim finds out, you can only mask so much with a suit.)
The film has a bold cinematic eye and is not afraid to look its dark subject matter in the eye. In moments of silence, when the eye is freer to wander away from the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, I was frequently entranced by the beauty of Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography. Parasite makes for often uncomfortable but always enthralling viewing. The crisp furnishings and subtle costumes provide a textured and captivating surface against which the tension ratchets up towards a mind-bending third act. Astounding.
