Parasite

[echt]

Anyone seen this? I only just caught up with it after it's been on for months (at admittedly niche cinemas, though its retention for such a long time shows how popular it is)

Funny, suspenseful, near-tragic and dramatic. Amazing. I didn't look at my watch once in nearly two and a quarter hours.

This is the second Korean film I've ever watched, the other was "Snowpiercer" and as I've just discovered, by the same director, Bong Joon-Ho. Both films fabulous, couldn't be more different.

I'm definitely going back to see it again.

Spoiler question...

...

so how long do you reckon the father was in the bunker with the dead ex-cleaner before he got a chance to bury her?

& how did he cope with the smell of a rotting body?

*ex- housekeeper I meant.

Spoiler

I liked the way the director implied that there was something going on between the tutor (Park Seo Joon), wife and daughter when he's discussing them with Choi Woo Sik and then Woo Sik going on about thrusting forward with vigor and the looks that are exchanged.

Also the fact that Park Seo Joon is rich enough to go abroad, yet brings an ornament to the house of a friend. In Japan (and most other Asian countries) it's considered bad manners to turn up empty handed, but he brings them something useless (that turns out to be fake because it floats).

The symbolism of smells, the drunks who piss at the window... so many metaphors and subtle commentary.

Absolutely loved the house and the view, as well as the way is was used to show how the other half live.

Anyway, back to the bunker. I would say judging by how big it seemed, he could have closed the body in somewhere while he waited for the police to leave. I would guess that since the crime was committed in the garden with plenty of eye witnesses, they would have maybe cleared the scene within a week and I would hazard a guess that the family didn't go back. I would guess that he maybe had to put up with the body for a week or so and if he had dragged her far enough under the trees no one would have noticed any disturbed earth since they wouldn't be looking anyway. (I may spend far too much time watching crime drama)

Actually, if he waited for the police to leave and dragged her body far enough under the trees etc, he could have buried her with a few days since there wouldn't have been much reason for the police to look in that direction given that everyone involved came from the direction of the house.

Brilliant film

If you would like to watch and discuss more Korean films and drama do pop over to the kdrama addicts thread in the streamed tv section and join us!

Most of our viewing is on Netflix and Viki, and there is a whopping great list of titles at the head of each thread (we are now on thread 13) if you would like to dip a toe in the water.

I loved it when the 'parasite' family were under the ' table while the couple were having 'fun' and when they slowly crawled out!

My flat mate was telling me about some thai stuff she streams - all homosexual love stuff but she likes it cos it is sad and funny.

Some of the kdrama addicts have branched out into Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) & Taiwanese series, Deathray. C’mon over if you are interested.

I know I'm not enjoying a film when I find myself loving the house, to the exclusion of other stuff. Oh yes, I really fancied some noodles as well.
But I didn't enjoy it very much. Like others say, it was too much of a hotch potch. I was relieved to think 'oh, this is the end' a couple of times. And it wasn't.
I thought the cinematography was amazing, though - especially where they are running away, down and down to the slums. WOW.
I just thought it was several different genres in one and not very satisfying.
For the record, the only other Korean film I've seen was the dramatisation of Fingersmith, several years ago. The critics liked that one, I really, really disliked it.

I absolutely loved it. I love a film that can be funny and sad at the same time.

Loved it but...felt there were a few things that didn't stand up to scrutiny. Primarily the boy's notes re morse code in tent would surely have been found and also tutor was hit over the head just inside basement, how did they not wonder where attacker had come from assuming they'd have found and examined the blood spatter there? I also don't think for a second they'd have left the housekeeper in.

I'm still on the fence. If it hadn't won Oscar I'm not sure I'd bother thinking about it much. One thing that sticks with me is I found all the characters believable; I was interested in them, or what happened to them. So very good acting. A lot of movies or even books, I can't make myself care about a single character.

that turns out to be fake because it floats

I could be mistaken but IIRC it does not float - it’s shown under water several times but not floating? I read an interview with BJH which discussed the rock and why he used it. It was very interesting, but I don’t believe it was “fake”, merely symbolic of an outdated Korean attitude towards money and social mobility. The entire film is predicated on the idea that social mobility is a fallacy.

I wouldn’t call it a hotch potch. BJH is known for working across multiple genres, even within one film. I don’t think a film needs to conform to a specific genre although I appreciate that some viewers feel uncomfortable if things aren’t what they expect.

We saw it after it had won the Oscar and really liked it. I have no aversion to subtitles, I prefer subs on even with English language programmes on TV.

And this week we watched Snowpiercer which we thought was just awful and not comparable to Parasite. Similar commentaries on society and castes, but just a bit heavy handed and not as funny.

@MaMaLa321 I loved The Handmaiden, so beautiful, although not as good as the book.

I thought it was fantastic personally. I do find it interesting to consider why it’s the first foreign language best picture winner. It’s certainly easily accessible for a western audience - there’s nothing really lost in cultural translation, which can often make asian cinema less accessible to an American audience.

I felt a bit bewildered and a tad disappointed. Not sure if it was because of all the hype.

Loved the beginning, the beautiful shots, some of the characters. It just all went a bit too nuts. I think I would have preferred something that was a bit more believable and poignant, like one person injured / killed only!

Oh and the rock does float! I read that BJH wanted it to appear through the flood water, so they made one that would float up just for that scene. But it's still meant to be a rock, we're just supposed to ignore that it defies the laws of physics :)

I don’t think Snowpiercer is his best previous film. Memories of Murder is excellent, as is Mother, and The Host is great fun. I certainly never know what to expect from him!

I didn’t love it. I found it hard work. I saw it on a long haul plane flight (so granted, not the best circumstances) and I watched Chernobyl on the way back. That has stayed with me far more in the weeks since.

Does it?! I really need to see it again - in my memory it’s definitely under water and not floating. I must be remembering it wrong!

I saw this a couple of weeks ago and was a bit disappointed - I thought it was good but not best picture good.

I was really enjoying it when it was a caper movie, really funny and surprising, loved it. But I thought it kind of lurched from one genre to the next and was a bit clunky. I didn't like the end, I didn't think the dad of the parasite family would have done that. And I found the social commentary a bit laid on with a trowel. But I loved the characters, the acting was great, beautifully shot and lit, the house looked amazing (not an actual house apparently, all done on a sound stage!) A good film but not a great film imo.

I didn't think the dad of the parasite family would have done that.

Which part - the hiding or the thing that led to the hiding? Both were reasonable based on his character IMO.

And do you think it’s a given that the Kim family are the parasite(s) referenced in the title?

I wouldn’t call it a hotch potch. BJH is known for working across multiple genres, even within one film. I don’t think a film needs to conform to a specific genre although I appreciate that some viewers feel uncomfortable if things aren’t what they expect.

It’s the Korean way. If you watch a lot of Korean TV series (as I do), they frequently mix genres and there will be multiple strands to the stories. It’s also really common for there to be numerous, sudden shifts in tone - dark to funny, sad to lightness. Its one of the things I really enjoy about Korean film and television - your emotions get a thorough work out and you’re often unsure what’s coming next. I am often surprised by shows, nearly always pleasantly. In contrast, I now find a lot of British, US and Aussie TV shows flat and one dimensional.

If you want to try another one, Red Carpet on Netflix is worth watching. It is very adult, as the main plot is set around a creatively frustrated porno film director and many of the early scenes happen on set. I watched it with my husband and half way though he turned to me and commented that it was actually a really sweet romance and very heartwarming.

Yes interesting re title.

He did it after a lifetime of being 'beneath' and after repeated comments about the smell and of course Park didn't know Jessica was actually his daughter.. that poor child.