Parasite

After a number experiences with South Korean cinema, I approached Parasite with caution, as I never managed to get a taste for that country’s thought processes and acting style. But when a non-English language film receives six Oscar nominations and collects awards like on a treadmill at all sorts of festivals, it arouses a great deal of curiosity and some suspicion, too, which is usually the case with such academically-oriented films. After watching it, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a film that did not leave me cold. The adage "while the cat’s away the mice will play" could be applied to Parasite to a certain extent, with the "mouse" family from a musty basement deciding to take appropriate advantage of it. But the problem arises when there are too many mice in the cat’s house. Parasite starts up slowly, only to serve a series of unpleasant sequences showing the lengths to which a person will go to preserve their newly acquired privileges. In the end, I would have rated the film a better four stars, as I felt the ending could have been more impactful and darker, but I'll give it a bonus nonetheless. (01/02/2020)

A great film about the Kims’ infiltration into the lives of the Park family. I had no idea that a Korean film could be so entertaining. Throughout those 132 minutes, to my amazement, not a single Korean started overacting. The story was so excellently written that I wasn’t bored for a second. I was even sorry when it was over, which doesn’t happen to me very often. A perfect treat! (25/10/2019)

A brilliant South Korean effort that takes shots at class issues with unconventional grace while maintaining an incredibly funny detachment. In this respect, all the jokes and references to North Korea are extremely successful and cool. Plus, in terms of filmmaking, it's really very professional and in some ways even a hair more progressive than mainstream Hollywood. The self-conscious alternating of genres then becomes the icing on the cake, reminiscent of the earlier bright period of South Korean production. Its international renown is well deserved, as this is truly one of the best films of 2019. (15/01/2020)