Parasite. 2019. South Korea. Directed by Bong Joon-ho. Written by Bong and Jon Won-han. With Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-sik, Park So-dam. 132 min.
Named by many as the “film of the year” and created by the possible “director of the century” (A. O. Scott), Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or winner has already smashed box office records around the world. More importantly, it has laid bare in an utterly compelling (and often hilarious) manner the corrupt reality of late-stage capitalism. Focusing on the divisions and entanglements between two Korean families on opposite sides of the rich/poor divide, Parasite attempts—and lands—more tonal shifts than should be artistically possible in one film. The result is breathtaking, as is the modernist production design that sets the stage for perhaps the definitive cinematic parable of our time. Courtesy NEON.