A stunning masterpiece dealing with class divisions "Parasites"
Director Bong Joon-ho has long been a box office successor with his second feature film, Memories of Murder (2003), and has become a representative director of Korea after achieving 10 million audiences with his next film, The Monster (2006). I expected Bong Joon-Ho's better works to come out even after that. But I honestly think that the successive films have fallen short of those expectations.
In 2009, Mother Teresa (2013), the theme of the "Snowy Trains" (2013), was settled in a confrontation with the narratives and genres of the film, The simple narrative that follows the path has reduced tension and interest in the play. In the case of <JOZA> (2017), which was created with Netflix, it became even worse, and it was worth giving some consideration to the subject consciousness and setting, but I was not able to look at it because I went toward the obvious story and the definite ending.
In this situation, director Bong Joon-ho's new film Parasite, which received the Golden Palms Award at Cannes Film Festival, was inevitable. Unlike before, he was awarded a big prize because he was able to complement his weakness and show a step further.
Extreme meeting of two families
The wife (Song Kang-ho), who has a wife and a son and a daughter, lives in a multi-generational ring. No one in the family has a fixed income, and they are getting a bit of a part-time job. Then one day, a friend of my son, Guyu (Choi, Woo-sik), introduces the part-time workplace extravaganza. I will pass the tutor interview interviewed by the rich family owner (Joo-jung) in a nice way and catch up with unexpected opportunities.
<Parasite> is the result of anxiety, suspense, and catastrophe that are created when two extreme families meet. So I have the power to make the story look to the end. Appropriate margins and presenting situations close to black comedies allow the viewer to imagine a number of different scenes, depending on their own experience, without waiting for the predictable development and ending. So the ending that the director prepares is also one of the numbers in that case rather than the inevitable ending.
From this point of view, this film can be said to be the best film directed by Bong Joon-ho. In the meantime, director Bong Joon-ho's movie was strong in feeling that it was going to be settled in the frame that he made. So it was hard to find anything other than the settings and messages that the director set for any scene. This film is very likely to leave the theater with different interpretations and emotions for each person because the audience has enough space in the house that the director has created, and there is enough room for him to draw his own world.
I think that the director 's unique' setting 'did not stop with the setting, but the fact that it coincided well with story development played a major role in this. The house and family of the early retirement seem to be somewhat unconventional, but they also show the feeling of poverty at the bottom. Soon after, Guri coincides with the wealthy house that is introduced as he begins his tutoring, and accumulates enough energy to support his future development. In addition, devices such as secrets hidden in wealthy houses, indian play, and morse signals, which are attracted by the youngest wealthy people, have not only the function of conveying meaning but also play an important role as a clue to lead the story.
When Parasite is a realistic movie, it is impossible to miss the actors who have acted well. In particular, all female characters in this film have expressed their desires and emotions clearly - whether they are negative or positive - to increase their immersion and realism in the film. A little ambiguous set of male characters seemed to be more difficult to express or express their emotions, but they showed the utmost preparedness and moved the audience's mind.
The most memorable film I have seen in this film is the French film "Consciousness" of French director Claude Chabrol in 1995. It is a work that hides the fact that it is illiterate, and the main character who entered a maid in a wealthy house strikes a reality of the class difference and makes a catastrophic ending while struggling not to be noticed that he is illiterate. Rustle's suspense novel, The Mysterious Typeface is the original.
In <Parasite>, illiteracy has changed into smell. It is similar to <Consciousness> in that the method of accumulating suspense is similar to the way of showing shockwaves to the catastrophic, and the anger of the oppressed character and the class disparity are felt desperately. . I did not create something that did not exist in the world, but I think that director Bong Joon-ho's outstanding performance was very prominent in that he changed it effectively to suit the changed background and setting.
I support Bong Joon-ho who goes a step further.
<Parasite> is a work that has a lot of fun even though director Bong Joon-ho deals with the issue of class that he has always been interested since his short stories. So-called 'art films' in Korea were often set and directed, and stories were often loose. It's like Korean pure literature. The gap with the international stage that has been there can be said to be in this part. You should not forget that you can make a story that makes you look exciting and endless even if you do not totally lean on genre formulas.
I think that there is a lot of luck in becoming a successful director. Human relations, friendly industrial environments, and resonance with the spirit of the times have to fit in well. However, I think that it is a matter of effort to change the pursuit of change without resting on the existing success. The accomplishment of director Bong Jun-ho as <parasite> is the fruit of such endless effort.
In fact, it is easy to fall into manners when Bong Joon-ho is in the position of director. I've been doing a lot of boxing, I've been recognized for my work, and I'm in a position to be praised for my way of working as a meticulously prepared director. I do not think it is easy to try something better in such a situation. Watching the history of a movie company has always been a difficult thing except for a couple of history buffs. I would like to continue the struggle for Bong Joon-ho's good movie in the future.