Parasite (2019)
Korea’s contemporary masterpiece.
Presentation:
If there was a foreign film to dunk on Hollywood, it might be this one. Korean attention to detail flexes and puts acclaimed traditional cinema to shame. People to this day are still dissecting everything from the film's rhythm, structure, sequence, Fibonacci golden ratio framing, and lighting. Many of these techniques (such as each framing having the same duration creating musical pacing) will go well over most peoples heads, but even the layman should be able to feel the meticulous preciseness of the sharp commentary. You may consider such perfection to be cold and clinical, but it actually perfectly suits the story. This could be considered a technically perfect film and can be a masterclass reference in cinematography.
Conclusion:
Like most modern Korean films, director Bong Joon Ho once again obsesses over class inequality. This film has unfortunately started a trend of Korean imitation with these themes in hopes to follow in its glorious award winning footsteps (something like four Oscars). However, you don't need to have a degree in literature to appreciate the metaphors as you could easily view the film casually and still have a great thriller experience. This film rewards multiple viewings but the first one will undoubtedly be the most impactful as Koreans always have dramatic twists. Because there's so much detail precisely jammed into each scene, the film loses an organic touch as there is no negative space with little space to breathe. The film is almost too perfect by design, with some people understandably preferring a less stiff filmmaking experience. At worst, intellectually pretentious. The psychological thriller should seamlessly masquerade the layers of social commentary, but if even that’s too much for you then perhaps you are better off with a film without subtitles.
Recommendations
A metaphor you’ll be burning to discuss.