Parasite

Yesterday I decided to see an independent foreign film from South Korea called Parasite because I had heard so many good things about it (the film won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival).  It is an absolutely brilliant social satire that, in my opinion, is one of the best films of the year because it kept me guessing until the haunting final frame.  Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) lives a hand-to-mouth existence with his wife Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), his son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), and his daughter Ki-jeong (Park So-dam).  They live in a basement apartment and work temporary jobs when they can get them.  One day Ki-woo's friend Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) comes to see him and offers to recommend him for his job as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy Park family while he studies abroad.  Ki-woo forges some credentials and soon has the job.  He is dazzled by the family's luxurious home and lavish lifestyle and recommends his sister Ki-jeong as the son's art tutor.  The two of them conspire to have the chauffeur and the housekeeper fired so Ki-taek and Chung-sook can take their places.  Eventually the four of them infiltrate every aspect of the Park's lives but, when the family leaves for a camping trip, they learn that they are not the only ones who have done so and a tense and suspenseful confrontation ensues.  At first the movie is an amusing story about a group of con artists who take advantage of a gullible family but in the final act it takes a 180 degree turn and becomes a scathing indictment of how the wealthy survive on the labor of the poor (who exactly are the parasites referred to in the title?)  It is absolutely brilliant!  The final resolution left me stunned and I was not alone because the audience in my packed screening sat in silence even after the credits finished rolling and the lights came on.  I loved the shot composition in this movie because the division between the rich and poor is found in almost every scene, especially the juxtaposition between the cramped and claustrophobic basement hovel where the Kims live and the open and spacious modern house (which is almost a character) where the Parks live.  All of the performances are fantastic, especially Cho Yeo-jeong who plays Mrs. Park.  I loved this movie and I suspect that I will be thinking about it for days.  Don't let the subtitles stop you from seeing this masterpiece!  I highly recommend it!