On 9th December, I visited the Curzon cinema in Mayfair to watch the opening of Parasite in theatres in the UK. It was an extremely special moment for me and about 300 other people who filled the cinema, as it included an introduction from Bong Joon Ho, the director, and Song Kang Ho, the main character. I, being a Bong Joon super fan, was extremely ecstatic to be in the same building as someone who I deem to be a mastermind and from what I had heard and read about the movie so far, I knew Parasite was going to be an unforgettable movie to experience.
Bong Joon Ho is a notorious director, famous for his often political messages of inequality and hierarchy. Some examples of his movies are Snowpiercer and Okja, two masterpieces with deeply rooted messages of the modern society we live in. Different topics of modern day issues are so beautifully interwoven in his movies that one viewing of any of his films do not do it justice. There is never one surface level problem that the film faces, mainly because poverty and dictatorship is not a single surface level problem.
The movie Parasite does no different but do not watch this film with any expectations because it will sure enough blow them, and you, out of the water. Bong Joon Ho requested himself in the introduction to not “reveal any secrets or spoilers after watching this movie” as it is so “strange”. Watching Parasite for the first time is like going through a maze but the dramatic and shocking twists and turns take you into places you would have never expected. Without any spoilers, when you reach the end, it’s almost like you were exactly where you started, lost and trying to find your way out.
