Parasite

On Thursday I saw Parasite, starring Jung Ji-so and Jo Yeo-jeong.

The Kim family is poor; the Park family is rich. The Park family needs assistance running their high class household and the Kim family sees an opportunity. Soon, in devious ways, all four of the Kims are employed by the Parks doing various tasks for them, though they don't disclose they're at all related.

Soon, they've infiltrated their entire world and begin to reap the benefits in healthy salaries and access to the mansion when the Parks are away (i.e. a camping trip).

Inherently, as a girl raised in an Immigrant-led, blue collar home, my gut almost always roots for the lower class in stories such as this ... but not here. The screenplay is so good that the characters are developed in a very complex way, making the Kims less sympathetic than the Parks, who are basically decent people being taken advantage of because they're naive.

After one big event that results in a twist I can't expect anyone saw coming, all hell breaks loose and this goes from being a black comedy to a borderline campy horror film. I couldn't look away, and was definitely entertained, but I never would have put this in a Best Picture category.

So then I wondered what I was 'missing' regarding the hype surrounding this film and the only reason why I expect it's gotten such universal praise is because it's different. It's not a film with a simple formula or predictable outcomes in any way, shape or form. It's inventive, it's fast-paced and it makes you think.

But it's also not the second coming of film.

~~~

Mother

On Saturday night, I screened Mother, starring Kim Hye-Ja and Weon Bin.

There are very few limits to a mother's love.

When mentally disabled Do-jun (Bin) is accused and arrested for the murder of a beautiful young girl in their Korean village, his widowed, devoted mother (Hye-Ja) takes matters into her own hands to prove his innocence. The trouble is, no one truly knows what happened on that fateful night.

Do-jun hangs around primarily with Jin-tae (Jin Gu) who is a troublemaker that easily convinces Do-jun to follow suit. Just days before the brutal murder, both are punished for damaging a car and attacking a group of golfers following a hit-and-run accident. Do-jun's lack of intelligence puts him in an unreliable position to convey the truth. He also has a very violent response to folks who tease him about his condition.

After he is booked for the crime and the case is considered closed, his mother (who has limited means and runs an underground acupuncture business) retains a lawyer and searches for the truth. We're led through a series of possibilities based on what she learns from the deceased girl's friends, and begin to develop a sympathy for the situation.

Rooting for this mother to get to the bottom of what the police won't investigate, our natural instincts want her to be correct, not because we like her son so much, but because we sympathize with her pain of raising a special needs child. At the same time, our rational minds wonder if there is more to the story.

Turns out: there is. Much. More. To. The. Story.

And it goes on, and on, and on, until we almost don't care who killed the poor girl as long as we'll be released from the narrative purgatory at some point.

The film started strong with excellent acting by all of the main characters and a few shocking moments of violence (squeamish me could do without so much blood, though). Yet the sheer volume of information we're made to wade through for what some may interpret to be a simple resolution is not necessary.

Plus, the ending happened three times before the film was over. It would've helped to conclude it at the first opportunity, but instead we're forced to endure lengthy, excessive scenes that minimize the impact of the actual discovery.

A shame, considering the concept and acting were so solid.

~~~

This Charming Girl

Yesterday I screened the South Korean drama This Charming Girl at the Seattle International Film Festival.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.