parasite…

I went along to the Watershed at lunchtime to see Bong Joon Ho’s much-acclaimed film “Parasite” (which, as I’m sure you’ve heard, was voted the Oscar’s ‘Best Picture 2020’ – plus Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Foreign Language film).

Unsurprisingly, the cinema was COMPLETELY full, all seats sold in advance.

Set in South Korea, I’ve seen the film described as “a satirical suspense thriller” (I’m not sure if this quite does the film justice… but it’s difficult to come up with something that properly conveys its essence). Essentially, the key players (the ‘parasites’) are a somewhat dubious, street-wise, unemployed family (father, mother plus teenage son and daughter) who live in an awful basement flat in the seediest side of town and a very rich, high flying family (father, mother, teenage daughter and younger son) who live an extremely grand architect-designed, spacious house in the town’s predictably posh part.

One summer, the poor family’s son, posing as a bright, confident college student, gets the chance to tutor the rich family’s teenage daughter. The mother is duly conned and convinced she’s found the perfect tutor… and he then manages to persuade the mother to employ his sister (not that the mother knows it’s his sister) as an art tutor for her younger son. It’s all bluff and posing but, very quickly, the former unemployed siblings realise that they’re on to a ‘very good thing’… and, in turn, manage to get the housekeeper and chauffeur sacked and replaced by… their mother and father (but, again, the rich family aren’t aware of this)!

Are you following me?

I think it would be unfair to explain much more of the plot… but let’s just say that it all doesn’t end wonderfully well for any of the players (and it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘Upstairs, Downstairs!).

It’s a film that highlights the contrasting worlds of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. It’s funny. It’s a cross between a horror picture and a slapstick film. It’s wonderfully put together and acted… and it’s bizarrely brilliant.

You’re really going to have to see it for yourself, aren’t you… you won’t be disappointed.