On the night of Aug. 28th, the Athena cinema held a screening of the critically-acclaimed Best Picture winner “Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon Ho in 2019. After putting off watching the film for years, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to all fans of film as a medium, even those who may be put off by the film being spoken entirely in Korean.
I was initially put off by having to read subtitles for the entire duration of the film, which was part of the reason why I had not seen it until very recently. When the rooftop showing by The Athena was announced, there was no better time to give it a watch.
The film features a poor family trying to work for a rich family, lying about their identities to infiltrate the household together. Their collective greed leads to being trapped in the home when they are not supposed to, and discovering the secret hidden deep within the mansion, even from the owners.
While the film is arguably a slow burn at first, its introduction helps set up the characters and make every revelation truly impactful.
The film is worth a watch, if not just for the climactic ending moments. The movie comes together in a gut-wrenching sequence of events that had been prepared for the entire runtime. It also contains a lot of key scenes that were really humorous, much more than I had anticipated. Particularly, the nighttime scene where the family hides under the table. The film is incredibly tightly written and leaves no room for bloat or unnecessary scenes.
Liam Delaney, a freshman studying film, shared his thoughts on the film after attending the rooftop screening at the Athena.
“You have to read the subtitles and thus things can be misinterpreted or left up to your interpretation, which is kind of a special aspect of the film,” he said.
“I also think that the film does a really good job when it comes to the plot twist in the middle, which is something I did not expect my first time watching and it really drew me in for the second half of the movie,” Delaney said.
I was particularly impressed by the cinematography, editing and presentation of the film. There were plenty of sequences that wowed me, such as the previously-mentioned climax sequence, as well as other scenes that take place within the house, like the appearance of the “ghost figure.” Many shots’ compositions wowed me in tandem with expressive editing choices that really make the film something special.
The messages of the film give a lot of commentary on the dynamics between the impoverished and the wealthy, particularly with how both the rich and the poor express desires to be like the other. It also features a lot of deception on behalf of the protagonists, which unravels very quickly at the turning point of the film and leaves long-lasting consequences.
The biggest hurdle for many to watch the film may be the necessity of reading subtitles for the film’s duration of over two hours. While it may be an obstacle at first, the film moves at a quick enough pace and is so engaging that at some point, I forgot I was even reading subtitles at all, as if the film were in English. Even if one is opposed to reading subtitles to enjoy a film at first, to give “Parasite” a try, you’re missing out on an incredible piece of art to dismiss it for that reason.
In all, the film succeeds due to its interesting premise, even better execution, expertly-crafted filmmaking techniques and overcoming the “hurdle” of subtitles, Hoon’s “Parasite” (2019) earns a 10/10 rating.
Logan Bauer is a freshman studying film at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Logan about his column? Email him at lb324324@ohio.edu.
