"Parasite" - review

This “Parasite” was rejected

I loved writer-director Bong Joon-Ho’s earlier horror film (ironically titled “The Host”) for its rare ability to present the monster in broad daylight at the beginning and then maintain an atmosphere of mystery and dread until to the very end.  Aside from the gripping main plot of a missing family member being held captive by the monster, “The Host” also shows how governments react when widespread panic and rumors erupt out of the public confusion over the nature and origin of the beast.  The combination of creature feature and political commentary was well-balanced and very evocative of the eco-horror movies of the eighties.

I knew almost nothing about “Parasite” prior to seeing it, and that was certainly best as too much information would certainly have spoiled many surprises and undercut the taught dramatic tension.  For the first two thirds of the film, I was utterly enraptured.  I welcomed “Parasite” into my being, smiling and laughing constantly at the energy and invention.  It was filthy, raw, funny and clever.  The characters were engaging, their world was compelling, and the evolution of the story felt organic and repulsively mesmerizing.  Then the garden party began, and my immersion was quickly shattered.

The sweet adoration I had felt curdled into sour disappointment, and I sat through the rest of the film with my arms crossed, frowning like an ardent lover betrayed by a capricious paramour.  I had been so happy to be enthralled by such an adroit and complex story, and I was now heartbroken watching it devolve into a climax sadly reminiscent of a cheesy slasher flick.  The madcap and multilayered scheming employed with great attention to detail and psychological motivation was obliterated by a simplistic and hyperbolic bloodbath.  The subtle symbiosis was disrupted, and I angrily severed my intimate connection.

“Parasite” attempts to examine the massive class divisions in South Korean society and how these gaps negatively affect two families and their livelihoods.  While they share some similarities, their fates are both determined by the power of wealth as a quick and easy fix for just about any problem. The film presents varied problems throughout, but no commentary is made regarding the theme of usury from above or below until the father of the poverty-stricken family delivers a nihilistic soliloquy at the very end that completely contradicts the motivation for every single action that he and his brood have thus far undertaken, so “Parasite” withers because there’s little satisfaction to be derived from a seemingly pointless journey.