Reviews

Parasite Review: "Parasite" Wins 'best picture' oscar for good reason

By Editor Eve Austin

Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, was, hands down, my favorite movie of all time, and I’ll tell you why. The film fundamentally captured everything a good movie should be. It featured drama, horror, romance, scandal, tragedy, and nuance, all packaged neatly into a strikingly irreverent bastardization of the classic ‘Rags to Riches’ storyline. For its acting, cinematography, comedy, and nuance, I would award Parasite the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar a million times over.

The plotline centers around a destitute South Korean family struggling to survive in a time when the job market has crashed. The family lies and manipulates a wealthy, yet oblivious family to raise themselves out of poverty, but the ‘Get Rich Quick’ scheme turns into a tale of murder, savagery, and chaos. The film is a deeply ironic depiction of class distinction and parasitism in capitalistic society.

Before I watched Parasite, my biggest reservations were what popular culture was spouting in response to a foreign film winning ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars. There was a strange sense of nationalism over this award being an “American” award. Personally, I figured that having to read the dialog through subtitles would be clunky and distracting, and I worried that Korean culture would not translate to my Western way of thinking. Shockingly, none of this proved true. The dialog was easy to understand and the acting was so poignant that it transcended cultural barriers and language. In my eyes the movie was the underdog of the Oscars and I think it deserved all the praise it received.

There was one scene that made me laugh and cry, all at once. Near the climax of the movie, a biblical-level flood destroys the below ground apartment of the family and all of their possessions. Their entire life was completely destroyed, pipes were exploding around them, and the daughter is sitting on the lid of a toilet that was exploding with sewage, electrified water surrounding her, and she’s sitting there checking her WhatsApp messages. I found myself laughing, even when the situation was tragic and hopeless. There was beauty, even when life for the poor was unceasing suffering. Comedy and tragedy being combined, the film is reminiscent of a Kurt Vonnegut novel, or perhaps even a Shakesperian play.

The only weakness I could find in this movie was that the ending felt a exaggerated and sudden. The climax was reminiscent of Quintin Tarentino’s love of obscene gore scenes, which, for me personally, left me queasy and uncomfortable.

When viewed at once, the film paints a picture of society that is sardonic, beautiful, and terrifying. Though the ending was a bit overblown, it exceeded my expectations in every aspect. I would rate this movie 5/5 stars.