Parasite (2019 film)
| Parasite | |
|---|---|
| File:Parasite (2019 film).jpg Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bong Joon-ho |
| Written by | Bong Joon-ho Han Jin-won |
| Produced by | Bong Joon-ho Kwak Sin-ae Jang Young-hwan |
| Starring | Song Kang-ho Lee Sun-kyun Cho Yeo-jeong Choi Woo-shik Park So-dam |
| Cinematography | Hong Kyung-pyo[1] |
| Edited by | Yang Jin-mo |
| Music by | Jung Jae-il |
Production company | Barunson E&A Corp |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 132 minutes[2] |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | ₩13.5 billion[3] (roughly US$11.8 million) |
Parasite (Korean: 기생충; RR: Gisaengchung) is a 2019 South Korean dark comedy film directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam. It won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Korean film to receive the award.[4][5]
Plot
Ki-Taek (Song Kang-Ho), an unemployed taxi driver lives with his wife and two children in a shaggy basement floor apartment. The family struggles to make the ends meet by folding pizza boxes.
One day, Ki-Woo (Choi Woo-Shik), the son, is having drinks with a friend who is currently employed as an english tutor for the high school student daughter of a rich family. He is leaving abroad for a while and suggests that Ki-Woo, who failed the university entrance exam four times and thus has been studying the same thing over again for four years, will be apt to take his place.
Thus Ki-Woo is interviewed at the extremely sleek and spacious manor of the Parks. He’s received by Park’s wife Yeon-Gyo (Jo Yeo-Jeong). He gets the job and as he’s leaving the house notices the painting of the young son of the family. Pretexting that the artistic potential of the son should be nurtured, he suggests to employ his sister Ki-Jeong (Park So-Dam) as an art tutor, lying about her pedigree and his relation with her.
After being employed, Ki-Jeong design a plot to get Park’s (Lee Sun-Gyun) driver fired and her dad Ki-Taek employed as the new driver of the family. Once Ki-Taek is employed, the family manage to get its final member, Ki-Tae’s wife Choong-Sook (Jang Hye-Jin), employed as the servant of the house, getting the current one fired by suggesting that her allergy to peach skin is a terrible disease that will contaminate the whole family.
And thus the whole family gets employed by the Parks, who are completely unaware of their filiation.
One day, the Parks leaves to camp in the countryside. Ki Taek and his family take advantage of this opportunity to gorge on the expensive liquors present in the house. The bell rings. It’s the former servant of the house who wants to get back some stuff she left. We learn that the servant’s husband was actually living in the secret basement floor of the house, communicating with his wife using morse code and activating the different light sensors manually from the basement. His wife simply came to get him food. A fight ensues as the servant learns the truth about Ki-taek’s family. Ki Taek and his family manage to confine the couple in the basement floor, seriously wounding the servant in the process.
Yeon-Gyo calls Choong-Sook, telling her that the rain forced cancellation on the camping trip and that they’ll be back in a few minutes. The family quickly hides in the house, almost getting caught several times and finally managing to escape secretly.
Arriving at the family's house, they realize that it’s been completely flooded by the rain.
The next day, Yeon-Gyo wants to throw a birthday party for her son and invites the whole Ki-Taek’s family to take part in the festivities. Ki-Woo decides to get down to finish the servant couple. A fight ensues. The servant is killed. Her husband manages to get out of the basement, knocking down Ki-Woo. He randomly stabs people in the party’s crowd, mortally wounding Ki-Jeong. He takes a knife and attacks Park, before eventually getting killed by Choong-Sook. As Park tries to flee selfishly, Ki Taek, enraged by his attitude and the unfairness of their social gap, stabs him, killing him.
Ki Taek escapes and goes to hide in the secret basement floor, eventually taking the place of the servant’s husband for the next families settling in the manor. The movie closes by narrated letters being exchange between Ki Taek and Ki-Woo, using the lights of the manor at night, as a morse code vehicle. Ki Taek promises that one day, he will make money and buy the house so his father can live with them.
Cast
- Song Kang-ho as Ki-taek
- Lee Sun-kyun as Mr. Park
- Cho Yeo-jeong as Yeon-kyo, Mr. Park's wife
- Choi Woo-shik as Ki-woo, Ki-taek's son
- Park So-dam as Ki-jung, Ki-taek's daughter
- Jang Hye-jin as Chung-sook, Ki-taek's wife
- Lee Jung-eun as Moon-gwang, the Park family's housekeeper
- Jung Ziso as Da-hye, Mr. Park's daughter
- Jung Hyeon-jun as Da-song, Mr. Park's son
- Park Seo-joon as Ki-woo's friend and the Park family's ex-tutor (special appearance)[6]
Production
Principal photography began on May 18, 2018[7][8] and ended 77 days later, on September 19, 2018.[9]
Release
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The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on May 21.[10] It is scheduled to be released in South Korea on May 30, 2019.[2][9]
Neon acquired the North American rights to the film at the American Film Market (AFM) 2018.[11][12] The film's rights were also pre-sold to German-speaking territories (Koch Films), French-speaking territories (The Jokers Films) and Japan (Bitters End).[13] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 11, 2019.[14]
Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, in assessing 36 reviews, reported an approval rating of 97% and an average rating of 8.67/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon-ho in near-total command of his craft."[15] Metacritic reported a score of 87 out of 100 from 15 critics' reviews, reflecting "universal acclaim".[16]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 14–25 May, 2019 | Palme d'Or | Bong Joon-ho | Won |
| Sydney Film Festival | 5–16 June, 2019 | Best Film | Parasite | Pending |
References
- ^ "BONG Joon-ho's PARASITE Claims Early Sales". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "황금종려상 받은 '기생충' 제작비 135억원 든 이유…봉준호 "비정상의 정상화"". The Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 26 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
- ^ Mumford, Gwilym. "Cannes 2019: Bong Joon-ho's Parasite wins the Palme d'Or – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; D'Alessandro, Anthony (25 May 2019). "'Parasite' Palme d'Or Winner Bong Joon-Ho On Pic's North Korea Jokes – Cannes".
- ^ "박서준 측 "봉준호 '기생충' 특별출연" 2019년 스크린 열일(공식입장)". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Kil, Sonia (30 May 2018). "Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' Starts Shooting (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "BONG Joon-ho's PARASITE Enters Production". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ a b "BONG Joon-ho's PARASITE Wraps Production". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide 2019". May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ McNary, Dave (31 October 2018). "Bong Joon-Ho's Drama 'Parasite' Bought by Neon". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "AFM: Neon Nabs Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' From CJ Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Noh, Jean. "Bong Joon Ho thriller 'Parasite' sells to US, Japan, France". Screen. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (May 30, 2019). "Bong Joon Ho's Palme d'Or Winner 'Parasite' Will Release in Time for Awards Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ "Parasite (Gisaengchung) (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Parasite Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
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