Parasite (2019) User Reviews

One of the best films of this decade

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 10/10 · 5 July 2019]

I am remarkably stingy with my 10/10 ratings. I'll be the first person to acknowledge this. Of the roughly 2600 titles I've rated on here, only 34 have a 10. Parasite is one of them. If this isn't a masterpiece, then I don't know what is.

I'm going to keep it vague on the plot-front, because I didn't know anything about it going in, and was really excited to see it progress and unfold in satisfying, unexpected ways.

What I will say is that this film, more than just about any other I've seen, put me through so many different emotional states during its 132-minute runtime, and did so without ever feeling muddled or tonally inconsistent. Parts of this movie were hilarious. Parts were heartbreaking. Other parts were insanely suspenseful (I'm honestly not sure if I've felt this close to the edge of my seat since the final season of Breaking Bad, way back in 2013).

And it does all this while being perfectly paced, beautifully directed, and amazingly acted from every single member of its cast. All the characters are understandable and sympathetic to some degree; the amount of conflict, drama and tension derived from a narrative with no clear heroes and villains is staggering. You come to care for just about all of them.

I'm stumped to come up with any flaws for this movie. And sure, I've seen many movies that are hard to fault, but it's rare that a movie appeals to me on a gut level and excites me to this degree while also being so close to technically perfect. It's extremely entertaining, thoroughly moving in so many different ways, and as icing on the cake there's a ton of social commentary and some heavy themes to chew on once the movie's over (and this one's not going to leave my head for a while, I can tell).

Catch this one when you can and believe the hype. Joon-Ho Bong has made many great films (and so far no bad one's), but this even manages to stand head and shoulders above all the others.

When it comes time to consider what the best film of the 2010s was, this one will surely be up there.

You name a genre, this movie covers it

[jtindahouse · 8/10 · 6 October 2019]

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that contained as many genres as 'Parasite'. The movie starts out almost like an 'Ocean's Eleven' heist film and then expands into a comedy, mystery, thriller, drama, romance, crime and even horror film. It really did have everything and it was strikingly good at all of them too.

I love a film that respects its audience. There are so many details in this movie that are crucially important and yet the film trusts its audience to notice them and acknowledge them without ramming them down our throats. There are a lot of layers to this film and I suspect for this reason its rewatch-ability factor will be very high.

The film was incredibly entertaining too. I can't think of a boring scene in this movie and yet on the surface for large parts of the film you would say not a lot is happening, at least in terms of action. Fascinating characters and brilliant dialogue are what create this. I had a great time with 'Parasite' and I think most that give it a chance will too.

Meritocracy: it's metaphorical

[nehpetstephen · 10/10 · 25 August 2019]

In a meritocracy, success and fortune are reserved for those who deserve it--those who develop solid plans according to their talents and abilities and who execute those plans through hard work and determination. Anyone can rise to the top, and for some lucky Cinderella, plucked from the cinders and gussied up in gowns, the meritocracy represents the heights of perfect egalitarian society: "I started with nothing and ended up with everything I ever desired; you, too, can achieve you dreams, if only you try."

The promise of unobstructed sunshine at the top of the mountain becomes justification for bitter competition, backstabbing, deceit, and callousness. You climb the crooked ladder until you make it to the straight one, and then, perhaps, when you at last feel secure, you can afford to be kind and confident and generous. "It's easy to be nice when you're rich," the mother in this film (Jang Hye-jin) at one point observes.

But it's a very long and very crooked ladder, and sometimes the rungs give out beneath your grip, and sometimes they've been dangerously greased by those who climbed before you, and sometimes the ladder itself is simply kicked down--either by those above you or, just as often, by those staring up from the ground below. There are a lot of people trying to climb that one ladder.

But in a meritocracy, you can't blame the ladder or the other people trying to climb it. Nor can you blame the fact that all the good stuff is kept so many stories up instead of down at the ground where everyone can easily reach it. No, you must blame yourself. You should have tread more carefully. You should have climbed more quickly. You should have used a firmer and more precise grip, anticipated disasters, and known just when to leap. If you fail in a meritocracy, it's all your fault. You should have tried harder. Better luck next time.

Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik), the young man who is the main character of PARASITE, several times refers to "metaphors," and the film itself is, of course, a metaphor. On a surface level, viewers are treated to a very thrilling, engaging, well-paced and well-plotted crime story. At all times, however, bubbling up from beneath the slick surface of this genre film, there are deeply personal, meaningful truths that should resonate with almost any viewer. These insights are rarely foregrounded. They are so subtly interwoven, in fact, that if you're like me, you may be completely surprised when the final shots of the film roll and you realize that you are emotionally devastated by the intimate, humanist story you've just witnessed. Bong Joon-ho's filmmaking is so extraordinary here that he'll make you fully invested in the lives of his characters without you even realizing he's done so.

I want to avoid spoilers here, but suffice it to say that PARASITE is a masterpiece--beautifully lensed, enthrallingly edited, superbly acted, and intimately involving.

South Korea has a population that is one sixth the size of the United States, and that population is stacked into skyscrapers in an area slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky. Higher education is widespread, so parents with means try to make their children stand above the pack by hiring them tutors and signing them up for extracurriculars and afterschool programs. I lived in Korea once, and the children I taught there were sometimes engaged in learning ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week--public school, English-immersion private school, piano class, soccer team, taekwondo, math camp, chess club, and so on. I routinely worked sixty to seventy hours a week on salary, but at bars I would meet young men my age who were expected to work far more than that, who slept at their desks so that they did not need to pry themselves from work for too long. As the father (Song Kang-ho) in the film at one point says, this is a country where fifty young men with college degrees apply for a mere security guard job. One can't afford not to struggle.

The themes of this story are not just localized to Korea, however. They are the story of global capitalism, and the specter of American materialism (and imperialism; note the "Indians") looms heavily over the film. Meritocracy makes cannibals of us all. It's nice to dream, and sometimes the dreamers who plan and struggle well enough can indeed climb out of the basement and into the sunshine, and how nice an ending it is when they do. But the film also makes it clear that sometimes all that planning and dreaming may be, maybe, just whims and fancy. More often, it seems, our pipe dreams are content to leave us with nothing more than the whiff of spewed sewage.

Engaging as a drama, with an intelligent social aspect to it

[bob the moo · 16 August 2020]

A poor family see an opportunity whenever their son starts tutoring English for a wealthy family - if they can engineer it, they can each get one of the jobs within the household. This is the basis for a film that starts out as a sort of con story, seeing the rich family as the 'marks'. As it plays out though, it keeps this assumption in the background, eating at the viewer as an idea, before then making it very relevant in the closing aspects of the plot. Between the start and then, the focus is on the various twists and turns of the drama itself. In this the film engages, and I found it easy to engage with it on the basis of what was happening.

The later develops do work better though when viewed in the context of the social aspect. There are lots of clever critics that can talk to you about the meaning and hidden depths of commentary from the film; for me the key one was the falseness of the 'con' itself. Although the family mock the gullibility of the rich family, it is not like they are stealing money from them, or somehow dislodging them from their position in life - no, they are just providing labour to them in exchange of comparatively low wages. They are doing this at the expense of other working people just trying to keep a job, and the rich family could probably not care less about the 'truth' as long as their needs continue to be met. This aspect is important for the direction of the later stages of the film, and adds sense to what happens and why, but it is interesting in and of itself. Technically the film looks great, and the director builds mood and tone well. Performances are strong across all the cast, but the turn from Song Kang Ho probably was my favourite as he was the most subtle and had the most space to shift across the running time.

There is a lot of talk for Oscar recognition, but it is a handsome, clever film and the timing in the year is right - I don't see it being the first foreign language film to win best picture, but this is more to do with the system than with the film. Regardless of awards or not, it is an engaging drama, with unusual developments, and built on top of an intelligent social aspect which links well to the direction of the narrative.

A true masterpiece.

[keezo9uno · 10/10 · 19 August 2019]

This movie is a gosh darn masterpiece. It will make you belly laugh, it will chill you to the bone, and it will make you shed a tear. This movie will stay with you long after the credits are over.

If you plan on watching this movie, AVOID SPOILERS AT ALL COSTS.

An original dark comedy about class struggles

[impeyrules-54634 · 9/10 · 12 January 2020]

This is a well written and well perfomed original film. With a lot of repetitive cinema these day i felt this was something new. I felt connected and engaged with the character throughout the film. There are several well directed tense moments throughout the film. A popular topic of class struggled well portrayed. Its always nice to see foreign language films having worldwide success.

A brilliant piece of art which will slowly grows on you!

[sandeepventrapragada98 · 10/10 · 19 August 2019]

Well written and performed also technically shines cinematography & bgm are too good and there's not even a single lag it's perfectly edited. Probably the best experience in recent times. Its pure art resembles the modern society the emotions they had shelved are insanely exceptional a layered masterpiece. If you like dark thrillers then you shouldn't miss Mr. Bong joon-ho's Parasite. Definitely tops the list of best movies in 2019.

Achieves what Jordan Peele set out to do with Us

[DJKwa · 9/10 · 2 July 2019]

As a film about a family imposing on another, and keeping dark secrets hidden beneath the surface, Parasite achieves what Jordan Peele set out to do with Us: tell a multi-layered story in a widely entertaining manner, but without sacrificing the believability of its central narrative.

That's not to say that Us is an ineffective film by any means, but when it comes to crafting weighty social commentaries under the guise of lighter fare, writer-director Bong Joon-ho is in a class of his own.

The film follows a lower-class South Korean family as they slowly integrate themselves in the lives of an upper-class family and their lavish household. As their entanglement is spun out of a web of deceit, the lowly family find themselves skating on thin ice when it comes to keeping up appearances.

It's a twisty satire on social-economic disparities in South Korean society that swings broadly in tone, and sometimes threatens to tip over the edge, but never feels less than meticulously calculated in its tonal shifts.

However, to reveal anything more about the story would be to take away from the overall experience, as each act is marked by a major plot twist or revelation that keeps the film one step ahead of the viewer at all times. Go in blind if you can and expect an unforgettable ride.

Not good Not bad

[junesunday-98515 · 6/10 · 25 May 2021]

It was not that good and not that bad for me. It's quite boring in middle of the movie but at the end it was good.

One of the most thought provoking films I've ever seen

[tmcapitals · 10/10 · 5 November 2019]

Do you want to see a movie that will have your stomach in knots, anxious during many scenes? Do you want to see a movie that will have you conflicted on who you're rooting for? Regardless of your answers, see Parasite. Parasite ticks along quietly until it is booming in your ears. The symbolism varies. Sometimes it is obvious, Bong Joon-ho might as well have made the subtitles spell it out. But other times it is more subtle, and you might realize a connection or symbolism days or weeks after. Bong Joon-ho is a master at that. The conversation that it sparks is worth the $13-20 it costs to see the film. Parasite has made me think more than most films I've seen. Give it a watch, see it with friends or family and the dinner table will have a conversation overflowing with opinions and realizations.

I'm baffled by the over the top praise.

[dacorn-00765 · 6/10 · 19 February 2020]

The film is interesting, but that's about it. The first hour was really slow, the whole class thing seemed quite familiar. I'm not sure why people are falling over themselves about this film, maybe since it was Korean yet with an accessible story and familiar film language that it suddenly moved westerners to 'see the light'? Anyway, the second half twists and turns struck me more as a wacky story line I would have seen on a soap opera back in the day like Young and the Restless or Days of our Lives. Overall, I'm more critical of the critics than of the film. I recommend seeing this, it's worth a look but all the Oscars and 'best film of the decade' stuff is incomprehensible.

Overrated

[jaindikshant · 4/10 · 3 June 2020]

In my opinion this movie is overrated. Because of the rating i watched this movie but there is not good as rating. One i like from this movie is description between rich and poor. I like this part a lot, that's why this movie got an oscar. But overall is not good as rating.

Multilayered portrayal of the real Korea

[perica-43151 · 9/10 · 16 January 2020]

This is a movie about a class struggle in South Korea, like what movie "Us" attempts to do but done properly. It is a stark reminder of what true living standards for most South Koreans look like, and its realism is very painful. Few are aware of the fact that up to the 1980s, South Korea was in fact more impoverished than North Korea, and it was only late that the situation reversed with famines of the 90s etc, but many people still live miserable lives, and situation is very similar to that in China, where a few got gloriously rich but the urban masses still live in bug infested cheap dwellings.

Some crafty members of this underclass manage to con contemptuous rich man into employing them as his servants. For many Asians smell is a way to express utter contempt, and this is often directed against the white people, who, being able to process milk, smell "like butter" and are seen in rac ist light as unclean, but the same rac ist contempt is directed towards the poor. The poor accept these valuations and fight for the crumbles, like roaches in the dark, but in life and death situations, resentment might boil up and the contempt might cost the rich their empty heads.

The movie paints a sad picture of modern East Asian societies, with many subtle points, criticizes their culture and emulation of the America, with a few cruel but precise strokes. The sheer talent of the Korean filmmaker, but also the fact that West likes movies from foreign countries that are self bashing, allowing the worst condescension rooted in colonialism that failed miserably in East Asia to thrive, one more reason to cheer this slightly overrated movie.

Whose the parasite and whose the cow?!

[dougal79 · 9/10 · 17 August 2019]

What an amazing film! Clearly an essay on the class divide. Writing lovable but nasty people is tough, but perfectly executed here.

They quite clearly cross the line, and when I mean "they" I mean bother the working class and the upper class. You could easily argue that "parasite" refers to one family trying to suck another family dry. Or that the upper class is draining the labour of the lower class, and expecting them to be grateful about it too! There is also something about the American Indian theme, a metaphor for dying cultural traditions which are being replaced by modernity? Nature is dog eat dog? Or is it a homage to an "idyllic" past where Native American culture was relatively classless?

Either way a must watch if you can handle subtitles!

Good , over hyped

[kevparker-50116 · 7/10 · 6 February 2021]

I enjoyed this movie, however my expectations were so much higher than it delivered based on the hype

Its good, but not top 50 good

I feel being a foreign language film gives it some level of credit with critics keen to promote something cool/exotic

Ask yourself how this film would have been received if set in US or UK and in English ? I feel it then would be just a good 7 out of 10 dark comedy / farce.

Definitely worth seeing, don't let the hype set your expectations too high and you'll enjoy it for what it is.

unpredictable, eerie and with original horror plot

[davyu-73849 · 8/10 · 18 January 2020]

Nowadays, the horror movies seem to be just about blood, gores, and fear-inducing trite. Parasite is breaking the mold in this category as well as in the realm of Hollywood. The synopsis won't be needed as you need to see it for yourself, and for your own good. The fact that Hollywood has already adapted its plot and is currently in the works with the help of its director proves its ingenuity.

Good, but not wonderful.

[natascha-zacharko · 6/10 · 12 May 2023]

I had to leave a comment because I have no idea how this movie received an 8.5 rating. 6 range at best. As far as Korean masterpieces go I thought "The Handmaiden" and "The Housemaid" were far better stories about class. The script had tremendous ideas and I was looking forward to them ... and then they just dropped off and switched to a new plot. It felt very messy. There were scenes that had no follow up or no point. Like they had to fill a plot hole last minute. If hours of this film were cut, that would make sense. It felt like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a dark drama, or a dark comedy. If it wanted to be just a family friendly dark comedy, you went too far, if you wanted to be a intense drama, you really dropped the ball. It felt like the director wanted to appeal to a wider audience by playing it safe. The more I think about it, the less respect I seem to have for its "artistic" merrit. Absolutely Overrated.

As I'm reading throught the miles of reviews, I'm convinced these are westerners who just started watching foreign films this year, or they're all paid. The common theme is people seem to think they are incredibly intelligent for having watched this. Another reviewer commented this is the SAME exact plot as "Married with Children" even down to Chicago, Illinois being a factor. Just blew my mind and now I have even less respect for the script.

Great

[0U · 4 February 2020]

The most original film of 2019 and it is wickedly funny and darkly disturbing all at the same time. The narrative and the actors were excellent. One of the better endings of a movie in quite a while. Class warfare at its best.

Totally Unique

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 7 August 2020]

Usually I don't read reviews before seeing a film. This one, however, I did, and happily so. First of all, it was good to know what cinema in Korea is all about. We need to shed our cultural biases, including "how" to make films. This had a very clever plot and an engaging group of characters. The title, I assume, means the principle figures have managed to infest a body and then use it to sustain themselves. I hope to see more from this director in the future.

Masterpiece

[estrangeddd · 10/10 · 6 December 2019]

Just wow! Not an easy watch, that's for sure, but I LOVED every moment of it. The actors were exceptional, the directing and writing was outstanding, not to mention all the fantastic metaphors that this movie was built on. What I really liked is that there is no "good guy" and "bad guy" in this story. The one you feel sorry for, later you can get really angry at, and the other that you don't like at first, you can feel for them somehow in the end - at least I did. I didn't expect a lot of things that happened in this movie and the surprises were all great. Altogether for me, this movie is like a dark but true and beautiful poem. I was in my thoughts because of it for 2 days straight, couldn't get it out of my head. I could talk about it and all the problems in life it shed a light on, for hours afterwards. Absolutely a must watch!

The Korean house of social classes

[mazzobr · 10/10 · 1 December 2019]

When a smart South Korea poor family decides to escalate the social ladder and take advantage of a rich family offering it suited services to their familiar problems firstly they have to displace the former employees. They did not realize nor the family living in the house that in the underground of it there was an atomic bunker. I was built to face any attack from North Korea. The brokers didn't say that to their clients to maintain the market price. Later on, the new employees well established in the house will find out that part of the replaced employees' family lives in this secret basement. The film displays the South Korea class conflicts as a metaphor for growing poverty engulfing the population with rampant disemployment. In this fantastic realism film, all social classes are placed in the same house: poor, middle class and rich. Old resentments and prejudices escalate as time passes. A revolution, interests conciliation or a violent upheaval without winners may develop as those class representatives have to negotiate when and how to enjoy this gorgeous house built by a famous Korean architect. This is a masterpiece.

Here again- After BEST PICTURE

[Parkiing · 10/10 · 24 November 2019]

This movie reminds me of Life is Beautiful in its life hacks very subtly written, amazing comedia I am sure it will win Best Foreign Picture at the Oscars And it deserves more than this Best Korean movie ever made! ----------

I went crazy when it won, it's masterpiece that will stay forever, and Bong Joon Ho will be a Korean idol

BEST MOVIE OF 2019!!

[tatbtsisb · 10/10 · 7 January 2020]

This movie is a masterpiece. It is well casted and acted, the cinematography was very well done. The themes are thought provoking. But the greatest thing about this movie is how much love, effort and dedication went into this. This movie has every genre in it, yet it doesn't feel too cramped. It might be unrealistic and some parts but the story was so amazing. The little details in this movie is what makes it a modern day masterpiece.

Parasite is one of those movies that you will never forget and rewatch it over and over again. It is such a fine experience watching this movie, and everything is perfect about it. 10/10

Plato Would have Loved

[tgrafflin · 10/10 · 22 January 2020]

I spent some time with the movie "Parasite" tonight. It captured me in it's symbiotic web. I'm sure there is not a single adjective that could describe it adequately...so I won't attempt that magficent accomplishment. Parasite tugged on every ounce of my acquired knowledge in philosophy, literature and Korean (yes...I do have a very tiny bit of that :) ) The set design was amazing...and it may give 1917 a run for it's money.

The stairs...oh so thoroughly magnificent in the simplicity yet the most complex of "metaphors" (yeah, I made myself giggle on that one.) I was instantly reminiscent of my Philosophy 101 "Allegory of the Cave"...."I went down." Thank you Herr Hanak.

Okay, I've lost all of you, I loved this movie for the Best Foreign Film...mostly because my theater neighbors tonight ate every kind of snack bar food possible...I will have nightmares about the gnawing, they chatted and checked their phones throughout...then they pottied and were able to read the screen....and then they seemed confused. Wonder why.

My feeling about awards..knowing the methodolgy of the voting....this film will not be best picture on Oscar night.