It’s What You Never Expected

It starts with a forgery by two siblings to fake a CV to get a job. But these are no ordinary siblings and the forgery triggers a domino effect like no other!

Some say that the movie Parasite, which swept the charts last year, bagging multiple awards and nominations – including the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – was the best movie of the decade. And why not? It follows the story of a poor family of con artistes who leech their way into a rich household and all the luxuries that come with it, only to be exterminated in a gruesome manner, one lie after another.

The Kims or the parasites to be exact, sneak into the Park residence as tutors, drivers and servants pretending to be qualified and unrelated to enjoy the richer side of life, with a few white lies and some good acting. They live the fairytale until they take over the house while the owners are away on a camping trip. Their indulgence is shattered when the Park’s ex-housekeeper (who the Kims had managed to chase away) returns.

Comedy and family drama turn into a suspense thriller with a plot twist that no one could see coming. The peaceful and easygoing life at Park residence is brought to a ghastly end with assault, threats and murder.

PARASITE (2019)

Gisaengchung (original title)

2h 12min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Director : Bong Joon-ho
Writer : Bong Joon-ho (story and screenplay)
Cast : Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong and others

The impoverished world of the Kim family goes on a rollercoaster ride of deception, trickery, fraud and lies thanks to the Parks, only to be threatened by reality in the guise of revelation and murder.

The movie is lauded globally for many things, most of which revolve around its simple yet dramatically complex storyline. Seamlessly transitioning from surreal comedy to gruelling thriller and nail-biting suspense, Bong Joon-ho’s magical art of storytelling effortlessly crosses genres while driving home an inevitable truth about the disparities of wealth.

Filmed in less than 125 days and backed by a powerful sound track, Parasite has crossed geographies, themes, genres and the usual rules of filmmaking. It’s a must watch classic with or without spoilers!