Korea.

And deservedly so? Is Parasite as good as 1917? Better than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? A greater work than Joker? Who cares. It’s quite brilliant. And unusual in that it comes from a different culture, ie Korea rather than Hollywood, and it represents its culture, the good and the bad. Which is why its made such an impact, because it shows how (presumably) a lot of Koreans live. In poverty. Scraping a living with minimum wage, cash paid jobs, living from day to day. And it juxtaposes such people with the ‘other side’. The super-rich. Mansion-dwelling, urbane, teams of staff around them and luxury. And its funny. Really, cleverly, beautifully funny as the poor family struggles and becomes involved with the rich one in a fabulously almost-credible way.

That’s the first half. We’ll call that ‘the half before it all TURNS TO SHIIIIIIITTT!!! in a big way’. A very big way.

Because Parasite is a game of two halves. Lots of films are, but in an odd few those halves are markedly different in everything. Like Dawn to Dusk. Starts off as a hi-jacking, segues into a vampire movie half way through, as the director’s drugs kicked in.

Parasite is more subtle than that. Much more subtle. Yet shit and fans still combine in the inevitable way. And the last 20 minutes are quite shocking. In every way (no spoilers).

The characters are all brilliant. And brilliantly played. It makes its point too. Strongly. But not in any Corbynist way, more just pointing out the not so subtle differences in the lives of the two distinct classes in Korea. Even though both look the same. Albeit one a bit grubbier. And swear at each other more.

It’s about time America realised that there’s a whole world out there, some of them even making films. Some of which aren’t even comic book franchises!

Ya kind’a have to see it now anyway, because of all the fuss. But you won’t be disappointed. Unless you can’t read. Then you won’t have a fucking clue.

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx