There’s a reason ‘Parasite’ won best picture at the Oscars
Photo: CJ Entertainment
Hello! I hope, whoever and wherever you are, you’re having a most beautiful day. To say I was surprised when Parasite won best picture would be an understatement. Like many, I imagine, after seeing it win Best International Feature Film, I assumed a different film would win the Oscars’ top prize of Best Picture. Only, Parasite went and won that, too. I was shocked; only the best of films could make history the way Bong Joon-ho’s did. And now I simply had to see it.
I went into Parasite almost entirely blind; all I knew, was it was a critically acclaimed movie about class. Reaching the credits, though, I genuinely believe that unless one had already been informed of how this bender ends, their initial predictions would ultimately be proved wrong. I would bet money on that. Truth be told, I was all but certain an hour in that I knew the path this film would take, and so I prepared myself for it. Over an hour in, and I was suddenly confronted with the shock of my life.
To spoil what happened would be criminal, and so I will limit what I say on the film’s plot. I will say, however, that this film feels exactly like the end result of a director who had been making better and better-quality films for six, seven decades — with all components critical to a film’s success finally mastered. My very first thought when contemplating my feelings on Parasite, beyond how impressively wrong I was made in terms of its direction, was endless praise for the cinematography. Bad cinematography can take a great film and make it little more than an eyesore — so much so that the viewer is no longer seeing anything else. The same can be said for music, and for acting especially, and both are other factors this film wields like a weapon. Intense yet smart cinematography, classical yet thrilling score, intelligent and compelling characters, swift yet ingenious setting… and most of all, a story so filled with relentless tension that when it kicks off, it’s not until the movie ends and you remember to breathe that you realise just how much Parasite had you utterly captivated regardless of what the film dares to present.
Photo: CJ Entertainment
Towards the end of the film, the father – Kim Ki-taek, played flawlessly by Kang-Ho Song – says, “If you make a plan, life never works that way.” I liked this quote so much I immediately wrote it down. This film has worlds to say. I suspect in the case of Bong Joon-ho, if he had any plans for his movie, they were smashed completely out of the park. This film is both unrestrained and entrancing to watch, and one that I am so glad I saw. The first chance I get, I will be adding Parasite to my permanent collection. Regardless of taste, this film deserves to be watched by all.
To summarise, there are countless reasons this film has made history. Often we found ourselves wondering why certain films get all the acclaim when others are far more deserving – in Parasite’s case, this is farthest from reality, and that alone brings me a so much joy. If you haven’t seen it yet, I present to you a new priority. At just two hours, you will walk away come the credits and feel relieved you took the time for it. Goodness knows I did.
Thank you for reading — I post on Fridays! And again, please do have a great day.
— Charis.
