A film that is generally given positive reviews is SE7EN, the fateful tale of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman chasing Kevin Spacey through a labyrinth of human depravity, leading to a conclusion that is still referenced to this day. Regardless of how well the film was made, how good the acting was, and how the twist worked to serve the story...
I HATED SE7EN. And while I don't necessarily hate PARASITE, I'm quite certain I'm not going to be rushing to see it again, nor will I be adding it to any library of movies I might have.
It starts out with a family of have-nothings getting inter wrapped with a family of have-everythings, at first in the vein of comedy. There's a dark thread that runs through each step the Kim family takes as they get more and more involved with the Park family, their house, and their valuables, but for the majority of the first two acts of the film, the general levity is well kept. You play along, wanting to see what will happen next.
But then, there's a twist, one that ends the comedy in a single strike. The Kim family, whom we don't necessarily support in their actions but try to find reasons to accept why they choose to do to the Park family what they do, suddenly raise the bar on their pursuits, at the cost of any level of ethics. The humor is, at a single point in the movie, lost forever, leaving us only with the same vein of horror that one might have found watching SE7EN, which is why I brought that film up in the first place. Where you might have started the film smiling, you spend the end of the movie battling a kind of nausea, as the characters change from semi-decent misunderstood people (on both sides of the spectrum) into NOT so decent people (on both sides of the spectrum).
I have to give chops where chops are due. Bong Joon Ho masterfully directs this film, from the choice of lighting and shots to the actors chosen for their performances and the extreme conditions that they are put through to really make the point of this film stand out. And in truth, the point that is trying to be made here IS the reason to watch this movie, and in that regard it is a success. Once you've seen PARASITE, it may be a long time before you forget about it, and maybe it will give you some interesting food for thought, as it did me. You've never looked at the world through a lens like this, I promise you.
So, just like SE7EN, nobody pulls their punches here. Everyone delivers a damn good performance. The flow is perfect (even if the mood shifts), and everyone here does their best to make this film work.
And overall, it certainly does. It's impressive, in so many ways.
But if you're looking for any kind of lighthearted fare, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. This one's not for the faint of heart.
I HATED SE7EN. And while I don't necessarily hate PARASITE, I'm quite certain I'm not going to be rushing to see it again, nor will I be adding it to any library of movies I might have.
It starts out with a family of have-nothings getting inter wrapped with a family of have-everythings, at first in the vein of comedy. There's a dark thread that runs through each step the Kim family takes as they get more and more involved with the Park family, their house, and their valuables, but for the majority of the first two acts of the film, the general levity is well kept. You play along, wanting to see what will happen next.
But then, there's a twist, one that ends the comedy in a single strike. The Kim family, whom we don't necessarily support in their actions but try to find reasons to accept why they choose to do to the Park family what they do, suddenly raise the bar on their pursuits, at the cost of any level of ethics. The humor is, at a single point in the movie, lost forever, leaving us only with the same vein of horror that one might have found watching SE7EN, which is why I brought that film up in the first place. Where you might have started the film smiling, you spend the end of the movie battling a kind of nausea, as the characters change from semi-decent misunderstood people (on both sides of the spectrum) into NOT so decent people (on both sides of the spectrum).
I have to give chops where chops are due. Bong Joon Ho masterfully directs this film, from the choice of lighting and shots to the actors chosen for their performances and the extreme conditions that they are put through to really make the point of this film stand out. And in truth, the point that is trying to be made here IS the reason to watch this movie, and in that regard it is a success. Once you've seen PARASITE, it may be a long time before you forget about it, and maybe it will give you some interesting food for thought, as it did me. You've never looked at the world through a lens like this, I promise you.
So, just like SE7EN, nobody pulls their punches here. Everyone delivers a damn good performance. The flow is perfect (even if the mood shifts), and everyone here does their best to make this film work.
And overall, it certainly does. It's impressive, in so many ways.
But if you're looking for any kind of lighthearted fare, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. This one's not for the faint of heart.