Movie Monday: Parasite

As usual, we were looking for a Saturday night movie on one of our free streaming services, some with very good ratings. I noticed that the parasite is now free in Hulu, so I persuaded my husband to try it. None of us would probably choose this Korean film with subtitles, but I knew it won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2019 (with several more awards in the same year). We finally thought it was some kind of thriller, maybe some kind of pathogen or infection? We were so wrong. This movie surprised us (in a good way) and turned us into something we never expected.

Ki U is an elderly teenager played by the inactive U-Sik Choik. She dreams of going to college, but is now stuck in a basement apartment with her family. His father, played by Song Kang-ho, Baker, though a medal against the wall indicates that he had a prosperous future. In the first few scenes he is seen in a depressed state. Ki Wei’s older sister, Ki Jiang (played by Park So-dam), has no future despite having some artistic talent. And their Mao Baker is even trying to make money for his family by depositing pizza boxes for local restaurants. One day, Ki U is talking to a friend who has just graduated from college. He explains to a wealthy high school student that he has a good job teaching English and Ki-Uk asks him if he wants to take a job while traveling abroad. Although Ki Uk is not able to study now, he has done very well in his exams including English, so his friend recommends him to a rich family. Ki U is happy to move into their huge, modern home, in stark contrast to her family's basement apartment. They have a large garden wall, windows and ultimate facilities. Da Hai started teaching her daughter and made more money than before. When a mother says her youngest son is looking for an art teacher for Shorgol, Ki Uk advises her sister and hides her identity by saying that she is a friend's cousin at school. And then ... hey, you never know what's going to happen!

This was the basic setup of the opening scenes of the film, because the fun and intelligence of this film comes from the naughty flashes at every corner and turn! The parasite is also difficult to classify because it has different temperaments and divisions. It’s a lot of fun, especially in the first part. From there it becomes quite dark, with a lot of excitement and suspense which turns into a thriller. And sometimes it’s very sad. We don't watch a lot of movies with subtitles, but we're used to it: we just found out that we need to finish dinner and pay attention! We quickly got the movie spirit and followed its flow. And what a current it is! We’ve always loved this great movie and recommended it to our son and his girlfriend last night.

The parasite is available for free on Hulu or at low cost on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and VuDu.