Few films have achieved the level of acclaim this year than Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. Honestly, there’s very little I can tell you about it other than it’s a dark comedy…kinda, that not only took the Palme d’Or at Cannes unanimously, a rare accomplishment, and earned accolades at numerous other festivals along the way. Clearly, the best thing is to go into this one knowing as little as possible, so here’s the synopsis and the trailer for you to check out.
Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks.
Joon-ho is the director who previously gave us Snowpiercer, Okja, Memories of Murder, and my personal favorite, Mother. Never one to be pinned down, Joon-ho’s films often appear to be one thing before becoming something altogether different. By all appearances, Parasite will be the same and I can’t wait. The film opens on October 11th in select theaters, but has just been confirmed to play at the Middleburg Film Festival on October 17th. You might want to try and be there.
