Parasite

I have been hearing great things about South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's latest film Parasite for months now, and I finally managed to see it tonight at the Cinema Nova with Belinda. The movie focuses on two families at opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. The Kim family, who are struggling to make ends meet, catch a break when son Ki-woo takes over a tutoring job from his friend for the daughter of the wealthy Park family. Ki-woo then works to get other workers in the Park household fired and secretly replaced by the rest of his family, including the longstanding housekeeper Moon-gwang.

When the Kim family thinks they have it all under control, Moon-gwang returns when the Park family is away on a camping trip and reveals that her husband has been secretly living in a bunker in the house. It is then that the Kim's accidentally reveal themselves and the tables turn as Moon-gwang threatens to expose them to the Park family. From this point the film takes a dark turn from a comedy to a thriller that culminates at the young Park boy's birthday party at the house. The movie provides strong commentary on social class and income inequality, and you can see why it has won so many awards this season and will probably do well at the Oscars in a few days.