Rarely has a non-American film experienced such a huge hype, stretching from Asia to America and Europe – and rarely has it been so justified. ‘Parasite’ was not only a huge success at the box office in 2020, but was also showered with praise from both critics and the wider public. In the end, director Bong Joon-ho even made history: his bitter social satire not only won four Oscars in 2020, but also became the first foreign-language film to win the trophy for the best film of the year!
If you haven’t seen the thriller highlight yet, we can only recommend that you watch this gem – ideally today: “Parasite” can be seen on the night of February 25 to 26, 2024 at 12:05 PM on Das Erste:
If your Sunday evening appointment is too late, the FSK 16 title is available as (4K/UltraHD) Blu-ray, DVD or paid video-on-demand:
If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can watch the film there too free streaming*. All you have to do is register for the seven-day free trial of the Superfresh channel. If you do not want to cancel again, you will pay 6.99 euros per month after the trial period.
That’s what ‘Parasite’ is about
The Kim family of four has their hands full working temporary jobs to stay afloat – until one day a unique opportunity arises that will change the lives of father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) and his wife Chung-sook ( Hyae Jin Chang) will change. ) and her two children Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and Ki-jung (Park So-dam) give it a new meaning.
Ki-woo tutors the daughter of a wealthy family under false pretenses, and Ki-woo’s family sees this as their chance to gradually settle into the wealthy household – and use sneaky tricks to ensure that it old cooking, cleaning and driving staff are put out on the street. The invaders soon begin to enjoy the benefits of living in the world of the beautiful and wealthy – and have no idea where their left-wing act will lead them…
Whether it is “Oldboy” or “The Pickpocket”, “Burning” or “Mother”, “I Saw The Devil” or “Two Sisters” – with the unique contrast of fascinating, disturbing stories that sometimes won’t let you sleep for a night Korean cinema has been enchanting for years with fairytale-like, elegant and ruthlessly brutal images that invite you to (night)dreams. And the author of this article owes this fascination with Far Eastern suspense cinema in no small part to ‘Parasite’ mastermind Bong Joon-ho.
‘Parasite’: Korean cinema at its best
With his monster highlight ‘The Host’, which you can currently easily watch with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video, Bong Joon-ho once offended me like only a few films in my life. Because what at first glance seems like nothing more than an entertaining feature, is ultimately so much more. Whether it’s a science fiction thriller or oppressive horror, family drama or comedy:
Rarely have I experienced a film or filmmaker that combines so many genres so harmoniously without them cannibalizing or even canceling each other out. Not only for FILMSTARTS critic Björn Becher, ‘The Host’ is also one of the best monster films of all time.
However, with ‘Parasite’, director genius Bong Joon-ho reaches a new peak in his flagship discipline. With an incredible eye for detail, he not only tells an oppressive drama that makes you think about yourself long after the end credits, but above all a thriller that grips you from the first to the last second, incredibly refined and, above all, incredibly entertaining. . Not to mention the twists and turns. The four stars in the official FILMSTARTS review of “Parasite” are still pretty decent, but I would easily give it the highest rating.
Because the biting satire is not only exciting, but also full of small details that fit together like a puzzle on repeated viewings – and turn what is simply a damn strong suspense cinema into a complex, layered masterpiece. ‘Parasite’ is therefore worth listening to not just tonight, but again and again.
Yes, of course all this creates a certain level of expectation. But ‘Parasite’ is actually the only exception that meets this standard – and not only puts it through the meat grinder in the final act, but also easily surpasses it in the end. For me, ‘Parasite’ is definitely one of the best films of the past decade, maybe even the best.