PARASITE (GISAENGCHUNG) SPEC D: Bong Joon-ho. South Korea. 131 min. Sep 6, 8:30 pm, Ryerson Sep 7, 1:30 pm, Scotiabank 3. Rating: NNNNN
Five minutes in, I was sure I knew where Parasite was going. An hour later, I was delighted to realize Bong remains one of the least predictable, most wonderfully wild talents in world cinema, and that I could never have predicted the path he’s carved out for this magnificent social satire, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes earlier this year.
The setup is simple. A clan of scammers (led by Song Kang-ho) worms its way into the lives – and onto the payroll – of a wealthy family. Bong takes great pleasure in setting up his Upstairs-Downstairs farce, but that’s just the first act.
As in all of his films (but especially The Host and Mother), Parasite mixes genres as if Bong was shuffling through them on a DJ kit, with moments of ingenious character comedy bouncing off against deep notes of dread.
It’s a hell of a ride – and one of the year’s best films.
