Parasite

Directed by Joon-ho Bong, Parasite follows a family of swindlers as they successfully worm their way into the lives of a well-to-do couple and their children – with complications ensuing as it becomes clear that somebody may have beaten them to the punch. Filmmaker Bong does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as Parasite boasts a compelling (yet slightly padded-out, admittedly) first half devoted to the aforementioned family of swindlers’ sleazy exploits and the degree to which they infiltrate their target family’s existence – with the effectiveness of this stretch heightened by typically compelling visuals and a series of above-average performances. It’s clear, though, that Parasite doesn’t kick into high gear until somewhere around the halfway mark, after which point the movie, buoyed by an seriously unexpected twist, becomes something far more engrossing and engaging than one might’ve anticipated – with the whole thing building to an impressively electrifying climactic stretch. The consistently erratic pacing is, as a result, fairly easy to overlook and the film is ultimately another solid effort from Bong, with Parasite certainly an indication that the director is firmly back on track after the disastrous Okja.

***1/2 out of ****

Leave a comment