Review of Parasite (2019) by Legitsalt — 08 May 2020

Parasite is an extremely potent movie with an incredible amount to say. Despite having been out for several months, I feel that many of the film’s true intentions won’t be realized for some time. The film is, as it openly admits, “extremely metaphorical”, almost every decision feeling well-meant and multi-layered.

Many people have stated their interpretations of the work, and I feel most of them are missing the point. Parasite is a satire, yet many people seem to be taking it at face value. In an interview, Bong stated that calling lower-class individuals, people who have no feasible means of class mobility, parasites is missing the point; it is the upper class who saps off the lower class via class warfare and exploitation who are the real parasites.

In this way and many more, Parasite likely doesn’t affirm the viewer’s world view, it may seem to do so, but this misconception is illustrative of the divide between reality and perception. Parasite, even if watched as an ideologically vacant film is still incredibly deep, with well-placed reincorporation and a constantly evolving plot.

Despite its dark undertones and periodically graphicly violent scenes, Parasite remains to be intensely funny, a humour derived from the absurdist reality of the film’s world and premise.