Parasite (2019, Joon-ho Bong)

[phantom_power]

https://mobile.twitter.com/JohnTheCho/status/1226754246348947456

[Famous Mortimer]

Was there not even one word of French in "The Artist", to give it the first non-English winner award?

[Keebleman]

Was there not even one word of French in "The Artist", to give it the first non-English winner award?

No, the only dialogue was in English!

[Famous Mortimer]

No, the only dialogue was in English!

I do like that movie. Good work Hazard-Vicious or whatever his name was.

[DrGreggles]

Finally saw this yesterday and absolutely loved it.
Been a fan of Joon-ho Bong's since 'The Host' and have been visiting his back-catalogue over the last few years (especially the above-mentioned Memories of Murder).

Wasn't aware until afterwards that it had won an Oscar (or even been nominated), as I don't really care for that stuff, but I did find it weird that a mid-afternoon showing of a foreign language film would be packed out.

[Sin Agog]

I just wish that any other movie had won.  In fact, I'd have preferred it if Parasite hadn't even been nominated.  Think about all the trees that had to be cut down to make Bong's translator Sharon Choi's notebooks.

(Apparently she's writing a script about Oscar season hullabaloo).

[checkoutgirl]

I tried to watch a download of this the other day but the subtitles were very odd. They were English, but they seemed like they were translated by an idiot. Not sure if this is a common problem.

[grassbath]

Is The Host good? Not my kind of film at all but I've never seen another JHB film so tempted to watch it as prep for Parasite.

[Bazooka]

Yes.

[DrGreggles]

Is The Host good? Not my kind of film at all but I've never seen another JHB film so tempted to watch it as prep for Parasite.

Yes, but I'm not sure it will be ideal preparation for Parasite.
Unless you just need subtitle-reading practice.

[Armin Meiwes]

Halfway through The Host (it's in Mubi at the moment) and I've got to say I think it's a bit crap, the tone of it is just really weird like it's sort of a comedy but not at all funny and obviously it's going for a bit of a b movie aesthetic but I don't think that really works either. But tbf I'm not really that much of a monster movie fan so might be more appealing if you are.

[DrGreggles]

Halfway through The Host (it's in Mubi at the moment) and I've got to say I think it's a bit crap, the tone of it is just really weird like it's sort of a comedy but not at all funny and obviously it's going for a bit of a b movie aesthetic but I don't think that really works either. But tbf I'm not really that much of a monster movie fan so might be more appealing if you are.

STOP GETTING BONG WRONG!

[Armin Meiwes]

STOP GETTING BONG WRONG!

Lol. Just remembered I didn't really like Snowpiercer all that much either (not that it's terrible just not that great). Got Mother lined up next tho!

[Dog Botherer]

watched Memories of Murder yesterday and it was fucking great so watch that one i reckon

[Armin Meiwes]

That's the one I want to watch but I don't know where to watch it!

[C_Larence]

Really disliked Okja, thought Snowpiercer was extremely stupid and overly long, and Parasite was OK but nothing special. Still going to watch the host, mother and memories of murder, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm just a big stupid racist?

[Bence Fekete]

Finally an Oscar winner worth the hype. Hugely entertaining and well-written/directed/acted.

And one of the best endings I've seen in ages. Felt it managed to tie-up all the complicated themes very cleverly without losing face or selling out or generally mucking it up like most caper movies do. 

Spoiler alert

Made total sense to me that the Dad would go mental and things end up so fantastically. The ambiguity of whether they actually are reunited in the end was poignant and poetic without being too far-fetched or flippant. I'd love to hear what anyone thinks is a better way to end to this film.

[close]

I've seen Snowpiercer and thought it was various shades of genius/crap but will now be checking out the rest of Bong's catalogue with increased optimism. 

I tried to watch a download of this the other day but the subtitles were very odd. They were English, but they seemed like they were translated by an idiot. Not sure if this is a common problem.

This happened to me and those subs are truly awful. I found the 2.79GB hard-coded version was excellent. 

[Dog Botherer]

That's the one I want to watch but I don't know where to watch it!

i gave in and pirated it. couldn't find it anywhere legit.

[peanutbutter]

Memories of Murder and Mother are the only other two I like.

Relative to those two I think Parasite is probably better but also that it barely held together, with the energy of the second hour covering a lot. Wouldn't surprise me if I never like a film by him again.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Just on the bus back from seeing this, thought it was great. Cinema was absolutely packed, which I thought I'd have avoided leaving it a week. I feel the need to watch it again but I know they're running the B&W one so might go for that.

[sevendaughters]

Saw it again today. I feel like I enjoyed it more, like seeing a magician's trick knowing how it is done. Little tiny details like establishing shots of the poor family and seeing a framed picture of the mum throwing the hammer...which explains why she throws the hammer when they're pissed in the rich family garden. So many little details that come back and reveal how bloody designed the whole thing was.

I still feel largely the same about it though: the step into more conventional genre stuff in the final 2/5ths is a little weaker than the genuinely joyful early parts. There are also a couple of bits that I guess just irked me. Like, when the poor son realises he has a conversational opportunity to get his sister a job, there's a 'bing' noise and a slight zoom as if to say CHARACTER HAS THOUGHT. I get it.

Mrs 7D enjoyed it too but said, and I quote "it was really good and very clever but there was no subtext, it was just all there, that was it on screen, nothing to think about, I'll have a coke please", think the last bit was related to the restaurant we were in but could be wrong.

[dissolute ocelot]

Finally an Oscar winner worth the hype. Hugely entertaining and well-written/directed/acted.

And one of the best endings I've seen in ages. Felt it managed to tie-up all the complicated themes very cleverly without losing face or selling out or generally mucking it up like most caper movies do. 

Spoiler alert

Made total sense to me that the Dad would go mental and things end up so fantastically. The ambiguity of whether they actually are reunited in the end was poignant and poetic without being too far-fetched or flippant. I'd love to hear what anyone thinks is a better way to end to this film.

[close]

I thought the ending had some very effective ideas, although it did try and cram too much in, and going with only a couple of them would have been better. The way the dad

Spoiler alert

almost casually killed his employer was great, and it was inevitable but still pleasing that he hid in the building

[close]

. The son constantly

Spoiler alert

laughing

[close]

was also a good detail and

Spoiler alert

him laughing at the grave

[close]

could have been an ending in itself. I did find it a bit ridiculous how verbose the final letter was, in context

Spoiler alert

(surely morse coding it would have killed the dad)

[close]

, although maybe it was more efficient in Korean.

It also suffered, as various people have mentioned, because you don't especially care about the characters and therefore it doesn't have the emotional resonance it might have. I thought Burning was much better at creating an atmosphere and complex, realistic, sympathetic characters, even if it didn't go anywhere much with them. Maybe because Parasite has to introduce a lot of characters and get into a rapidly moving plot, it doesn't have any time for that sort of mood-making.

[Famous Mortimer]

Really disliked Okja, thought Snowpiercer was extremely stupid and overly long, and Parasite was OK but nothing special. Still going to watch the host, mother and memories of murder, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm just a big stupid racist?

If you have to ask, then you are (I think I've got that phrase right)

I loved it (which I've probably already said).

[beanheadmcginty]

How does Morse code work in countries that have different alphabets? Do they just have their own version or does it get converted to the English alphabet?

[Bad Ambassador]

Here.

[buzby]

How does Morse code work in countries that have different alphabets? Do they just have their own version or does it get converted to the English alphabet?

In Korea they use SKATS to map Hangui characters to the Latin alphabet so it can be transmitted using standard Morse. However, in the film it's seen that  Kim Ki-taek and Geun-se are both transmitting in English.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I watched this last night in a packed cinema. I thought it was fucking magic. I don't follow the Oscars at all but it's great that a weird, spiky film like this can win Best Picture and that loads of people are going to see it on the back of that. I can't stop thinking about it.

The daughter sitting on a broken overflowing toilet smoking ciggies is a mood.

[Keebleman]

Watched this yesterday and enjoyed it a lot but nevertheless think it's rather overrated. The first half, while always entertaining, was spoiled for me by the ease with which the Kims were able to infiltrate the household.

One story aspect that puzzles me: when the old housekeeper returns during the impromptu party her face is all bashed up.  She does say she'll explain why but if she did I've forgotten about it.  Anyone able to help me out with this?

[Jerzy Bondov]

I guessed she'd just been living on the streets and having a rough old time, but no I don't think she ever does explain it. Having her look like that after she was so smart before places her in the underclass below the Kims I suppose.

[Thomas]

I watched this last night in a packed cinema. I thought it was fucking magic. I don't follow the Oscars at all but it's great that a weird, spiky film like this can win Best Picture and that loads of people are going to see it on the back of that. I can't stop thinking about it.

Yeah, I'm not being a massive snob-head but when I saw it I thought it was amazing that so many people, from teenagers to the infirm, turned out to pack a cinema on a Friday night for a subtitled Korean film. And I say that as someone who only watches subtitled films to seem clever.