January Movie Pick: 'Parasite'

Has our allegiance really changed now? Are we no longer committed to any country or border but instead to an economic class? This South Korean film paints that picture well, but at the same time, it shows that it's not the case. The problem is much more terrifying.

Director Bong Joon-Ho delivers an Oscar-worthy film that explores the great divide between the classes in our world, showing us this incredible battle for survival and how hard it is to move up when you are always put down. Here, we are observing the contrast between two completely different families from the same region and their way of living and status. As the movie progresses, we see those two paths cross in the most comedic, yet terrifying and realistic way. This dark comedy quickly escalates, leading to an absolutely incredible third act built by the performances during the whole movie. Everyone here stands out; all the actors are able to portray fully realized characters with characteristics we are well aware of.

This film is relatable, and I guess it's dividing because it seems like you are doomed to take a side, even though both sides are dirty. Fascinating meta-commentary on the growing polarization between the classes. Although the film provides a clear picture that both these worlds need each other to survive, both seem to be appalled by one another. The rich see the poor as incapable dirty rats, while the poor take the rich for arrogant ungrateful slavers. Was that actually in the movie or... nevermind.

The film builds this tension like a bomb that will go off, and you feel it from the beginning when you observe the way the whole family is digging out of their hole to secure their future and their own survival. One by one, the members of the Kim family get a job in this gorgeous house owned by the Parks, and you feel that something will happen, and this lie cannot sustain itself for the rest of the movie. But you have no idea how crazy the director will go with the plot. Crushed by the circumstances of their own life, they plot and work to secure their basic needs.

'Parasite' explores how far apart these two families are. Usually, the middle class takes hits from the poor, and the rich from the middle in a more 'civilized' manner. But now, with the ongoing extinction of the middle class, the aggressively striving-to-survive poor are directly going for the top kill. The film is full of tension and heart. In the end, in one short fantasy, it shows how the choices of your life are much more powerful than circumstances and that your birthplace does not determine your future. Class can always be changed if only you want it enough, right? Well, I find it funny that this is only shown briefly in a fantasy that comes up after everything crashes and burns beneath them because of their choices. They channeled their energy the wrong way. If only they went the other way.

And speaking of who is the parasite of this story? Our point of view decides if we live in symbiosis or we explore pure parasitism. It is all about perspective after all, and even though I feel bad for the Parks, I really feel much worse for the Kim family because of their struggles. The only thing that baffled my understanding about where our allegiance lies is that the Kim family had to fight their opponents with the same status to get where they wanted to be. And after taking care of them, also common people from the same class, without any hesitation whatsoever, I feel like everyone is on their own. Allegiance is only to your closest, and polarization is much deeper than a country or a class. It is on a personal level, and we are on our own, and the only thing keeping the order is that we need each other.

Iliya Badev