Where do I even begin to talk about this masterpiece? I had no idea what Parasite was about before it started making headlines everywhere and anywhere. All the summaries I found online were ambiguous. They gave the general plot, but did not go into any detail at all. It felt as though I was being left out of the world’s biggest secret that I knew I had to find out for myself what all the fuss was about.

The Kim family do whatever they can to get by. Small jobs here and there that don’t hold much promise for a brighter future, though they never give up hope. At least they have each other. One fateful day, Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) is given the opportunity of a lifetime: become an English tutor for the very wealthy Park family’s daughter. Having no prior experience, he adopts the name Kevin and takes on his new role cautiously.

Before long, Ki-woo enlists the help of his sister Ki-jung (So-dam Park) who becomes the art teacher for the Park’s son. Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song) and Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang), the parents of Ki-woo and Ki-jung, are brought in as driver and housekeeper too. What started as a way for the Kims to get some extra money soon turns into an elaborate game.

Though the Parks seem to have it all, nothing is ever as it seems. Gullible Yeon- kyo (Yeo-jeong Jo) takes her job as a mother very seriously. She wants the best for her children and makes most of the household arrangements. Dong-ik (Sun-kyun Lee) is too busy building his empire to be present in the lives of his children. Between the two of them, it’s no wonder that the Kims are able to manipulate their way into this new lifestyle.

My favorite thing about Parasite is how unpredictable it was. It kept me guessing throughout and I really did not know how everything was going to come together. I also loved how, at the end of the day, the movie was about two families and how their lives, no matter how different, entwined together. There was no need for gimmicks or big production here. The way that it was portrayed was done in a realistic and believable way.

This movie is so worth the hype and was so deserving of all the awards it received. Bong Joon Ho is a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to seeing where he goes next.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥