Parasite

From the few movies I've seen from South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho, which are his most recent Snowpiercer and Okja, he's definitely one of the best modern ones for a reason. He took on fascinating premises that appear to take a genre or subject matter and twists it in a way that left me wondering what the outcome would be. The actors he worked with caught me off guard somewhat to some roles normally associated with them, such as Chris Evans in the midst of his Captain America phase with Marvel. The risks he takes and results he gets from his craft are worth looking out for in getting some unexpected thrills and more. This brings us to Parasite, a new movie that he directed and wrote that's been receiving a lot of critical praise from its run in various film festivals, including Oscar buzz. After realizing he did Snowpiercer and hearing about how strong it is, which I had watched a couple of years ago, I checked out Okja on Netflix to reacquaint myself with his work, which was great to see. I went into the auditorium very blind about anything regarding its premise and left it stunned as well as heavily impressed by the amazing execution as one of the best of 2019.

What's it about? The story follows a financially struggling lower class family that gets involved in a situation that goes beyond their control and evolves into an unforeseen problem. It's honestly incredibly difficult to discuss the events that take place without spoiling the details of it. The interactions that take place reflect the social commentary topics in being addressed here such as classism and that kind of behavior comes into play more than you might realize. The directors knack for playing a game of Twister with its audience is definitely in play where you feel comfortable with the comedy elements but then he grabs the carpet you're on and it's a thrilling ride. The rewatch value is certainly strong here where examining the viewpoints of its characters and their mannerisms evokes more investigating the layers beneath.

How are the actors? The actors here are all quite strong but there are a handful of great standouts among them: Song Kang-Ho, Choi Woo-Shik, Park So-Dam, and Cho Yeo-Jeong. The interactions they have with any character is strengthened by their talented acting chops in their respective roles. The personalities they convey along with their relevance to the plot is another element that makes them highlights. An honorable mention goes to Lee Jung-Eun for being a delightful addition to the cast for the material given to her that her acting bolsters.

Overall Consensus: Parasite is an amazing black comedy thriller experience abundant of great performances, an intriguing unpredictable premise, relevant social commentary, and exhausting thrills. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🎟🍿 Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of Bong Joon-Ho and his works. You enjoy foreign language thrillers. You are a fan of any of the aforementioned actors. You like films with deeper layers of commentary.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of Bong Joon-Ho and his works. You dislike foreign language thriller films. You aren't a fan of any of the aforementioned actors. You dislike films with deeper layers of commentary. You are sensitive to sudden moments of violence (it has a few).