By Donald Kirk
Unlike just about every Korean, I had not heard of "Parasite" when I walked into the E Street Cinema in Washington a few weeks ago with every intention of seeing another film also being shown. Then I heard a person asking for tickets to "Parasite" and learned it was a highly rated, popular Korean film. In fact, it was so popular that showings on two screens in the cineplex were sold out. I had to see it another night.
It was definitely worth waiting for. Parasite is not only clever beyond belief, alternating between dark comedy and bloody tragedy, but also a brilliant social satire, a vivid commentary on life in Korea that goes far beyond anything I had seen or knew. The plot was tightly constructed and written, to judge from the quite skillfully done English subtitles, and incredibly acted by a brilliant cast perfect for portraying Koreans in a range of social strata, moods and settings.
The story line might be described as an upstairs-downstairs view of the upper crust of Korean society and the downtrodden lower class. In this case, the bottom level, quite literally, is a secret tunnel complex way down below. Amazingly, as the film slowly, shockingly reveals, it harbors the manic husband of the dutiful woman responsible for managing the household of the wealthy couple and spoiled little boy who inhabit their high-walled, gated mansion.
I couldn't help but wonder, had I missed a whole aspect of Korean life? In my reporting on Korean conglomerates and their founders and their privileged progeny, I have never been invited into their homes with one notable exception years ago when I was working on a book about Chung Ju-yung, the late founder of the Hyundai empire, during his ill-starred run for the presidency. Having heard that he ordered his sons over to share his spartan breakfast every day, I asked an assistant if I could see this ritual for myself. Early one morning I got to watch from the vantage of a spacious kitchen overlooking the hard table around which father and sons silently clustered.
I did get a sense of the divisions in Korean life as I looked on with several of their wives, who did not partake of the kimchi, fruit and tea on offer, but I would not have dreamed of any labyrinth of secret passageways hidden below. Nor would I have felt the intrigues, rivalries and resentments that divide Korean society. With all the money in the hands of chaebol chieftains and their families, however, it's not hard to imagine their crazy defenses against the bitterness of a highly competitive culture. The rich were, and undoubtedly still are, getting richer while mere commoners suffer from harsh discipline, low wages, unemployment and underemployment.
It's no wonder that the director of this extraordinary masterpiece, Bong Joon-ho, was just nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association in the U.S. and Canada for best director and, with Han Jin-won, for best screenplay. The film got a raft of other nominations ― best picture, best foreign-language film, best acting ensemble, best production design and best editing. Against brilliant competition, Parasite has already made Bong the first Korean director to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival, and should be in the running for best foreign film at the Oscars to be bestowed in February by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
This glittering list of accolades was not, however, on my mind as I watched the plot unfold in imaginative, innovative sequence. Coming out of the theater, I wondered what this spectacle said about class differences in Korea. The gulf between them comes to life not only in the gimmick of the hidden tunnels but also in the dialogue, in the manners of rich and poor, in the condescension of the charming lady of the house and her superficially nice husband, in the frustrations of the tight-knit family of interlopers that nearly, hysterically, takes over their estate and their lives.
What is Bong, who has written and directed six other films, telling us? He eschews preaching, but the message comes through with stunning clarity in a story that provides one spellbinding surprise after another. One might ask if he's more than a little unfair in this brutal portrayal of rich versus poor. Fair enough, but Parasite is gripping as both a terrific story and a tale that viewers will grasp as a commentary on modern life not only in Korea but in just about every society on earth, including my own.
Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, has been reporting from Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere for decades.
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It was definitely worth waiting for. Parasite is not only clever beyond belief, alternating between dark comedy and bloody tragedy, but also a brilliant social satire, a vivid commentary on life in Korea that goes far beyond anything I had seen or knew. The plot was tightly constructed and written, to judge from the quite skillfully done English subtitles, and incredibly acted by a brilliant cast perfect for portraying Koreans in a range of social strata, moods and settings.
The story line might be described as an upstairs-downstairs view of the upper crust of Korean society and the downtrodden lower class. In this case, the bottom level, quite literally, is a secret tunnel complex way down below. Amazingly, as the film slowly, shockingly reveals, it harbors the manic husband of the dutiful woman responsible for managing the household of the wealthy couple and spoiled little boy who inhabit their high-walled, gated mansion.
I couldn't help but wonder, had I missed a whole aspect of Korean life? In my reporting on Korean conglomerates and their founders and their privileged progeny, I have never been invited into their homes with one notable exception years ago when I was working on a book about Chung Ju-yung, the late founder of the Hyundai empire, during his ill-starred run for the presidency. Having heard that he ordered his sons over to share his spartan breakfast every day, I asked an assistant if I could see this ritual for myself. Early one morning I got to watch from the vantage of a spacious kitchen overlooking the hard table around which father and sons silently clustered.
I did get a sense of the divisions in Korean life as I looked on with several of their wives, who did not partake of the kimchi, fruit and tea on offer, but I would not have dreamed of any labyrinth of secret passageways hidden below. Nor would I have felt the intrigues, rivalries and resentments that divide Korean society. With all the money in the hands of chaebol chieftains and their families, however, it's not hard to imagine their crazy defenses against the bitterness of a highly competitive culture. The rich were, and undoubtedly still are, getting richer while mere commoners suffer from harsh discipline, low wages, unemployment and underemployment.
It's no wonder that the director of this extraordinary masterpiece, Bong Joon-ho, was just nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association in the U.S. and Canada for best director and, with Han Jin-won, for best screenplay. The film got a raft of other nominations ― best picture, best foreign-language film, best acting ensemble, best production design and best editing. Against brilliant competition, Parasite has already made Bong the first Korean director to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival, and should be in the running for best foreign film at the Oscars to be bestowed in February by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
This glittering list of accolades was not, however, on my mind as I watched the plot unfold in imaginative, innovative sequence. Coming out of the theater, I wondered what this spectacle said about class differences in Korea. The gulf between them comes to life not only in the gimmick of the hidden tunnels but also in the dialogue, in the manners of rich and poor, in the condescension of the charming lady of the house and her superficially nice husband, in the frustrations of the tight-knit family of interlopers that nearly, hysterically, takes over their estate and their lives.
What is Bong, who has written and directed six other films, telling us? He eschews preaching, but the message comes through with stunning clarity in a story that provides one spellbinding surprise after another. One might ask if he's more than a little unfair in this brutal portrayal of rich versus poor. Fair enough, but Parasite is gripping as both a terrific story and a tale that viewers will grasp as a commentary on modern life not only in Korea but in just about every society on earth, including my own.
Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, has been reporting from Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere for decades.
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