Parasite

 Hi Charlie !

Today I would like to share with you a film that I particularly liked, which name is Parasite by Boon Joon Ho. 

If you are passionate about social sciences and politics, as I am, there is good chance you will love Parasite. Indeed, Parasite is firstly a matter of class for me. So let me tell you about the plot : a poor family, the Kim, leave in a semi-basement apartment in Seoul, South Korea. There searching for work usurping their neighbors WIFI and folding pizza boxes to earn a little money. 

On the other side, there is the Parks family. They are rich, they have a very beautiful house in a wealthy neighborhood and, it's very important, they are worried about their children's future. This trepidation for the success of their children leads Mrs Park to employ an English teacher for her daughter. But when the English teacher, who also have a secret relationship with her daughter, leaves to another country, Mrs Park has to find someone else to replace him. 

This is when the two family meet each other. The English teacher offers Ki Woo, his friend and Kim's son to replace him. Ki Woo accepts, even though his knowledge of the English language is limited. Here begins the real plot of the movie. The Kim family is going to construct a plan to infiltrate the Parks family. Once Ki Woo starts working for the Parks as an English teacher, he recommends his sister, Ki Jun, by pretending she's a famous art teacher who perfectly understands young children. She becomes the Parks son art teacher. After that, they success making the Parks fire their driver and their cooker, replacing them by the Kim parents. While they are elaborating this plan, the Parks don't know a whole family works in their home. 

Class and sociology are at the center of this film. For example, when Chung-sook, the Kim's family's father become the Parks driver, Mr. Parks tell him

"People in the subway have a particular smell" which reveals how smell is a factor of distinction between two social classes. Indeed, smell is a motif in this film. When the Parks son smells the Kim parents, he tells his parents : they have the same smell. This smell can be considered as the smell of the poor, a particular smell which is a way to fragment people into categories. 

I also liked this film because the plot is particularly entertaining. Indeed, there is a strong sense of climax and suspense. The plot is constructed as a very precise plan in which the spectator is omniscient. Planning is also one of the themes of the film : the word plan is repeated numerous times, and the Kim father ends up saying : "You know what plan always work ? No plan at all." Indeed, even though the whole plot is based on planning, their plans never succeed. 

I also loved how morals were always questioned. Some of my relatives disliked this film because they found the Kim family (the poor) too immoral. But I actually think it's what makes the film interesting. Furthermore, I feel like we always expect poor people to be nice in order to make them pitiable people but here , it's the contrary. They don't mind using treachery, falsehood and scam to achieve their ends. In fact, they are real characters with their faults and their qualities. This is not a Manichean story with the nice poor on one side and the mean rich on the other, but a complex movie in which each character has its own characteristics.

So I definitely think that Parasite is a must-see. If you are not convinced yet, you can look at the critiques who almost all say it's a masterpiece. You can also watch the trailer (link below) and tell me what you taught about this film. For me, it was a great experience and I re-watched it several times. 

Bye Charlie !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xH0HfJHsaY