«Parasite: this year's Palme d'Or is as big as a mountain

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris Musumeci

«You may have a plan, but life never goes according to plan.» 

The Ki-taek family lives in a basement. Not surprising, since they're poor. Their income is less: they fold pizza boxes at home. And what's more, they don't even do it properly. So it's safe to conclude that they're an unemployed family. But they're not unhappy. All four members are cheerful and supportive. And things are about to change. With the help of a friend and a fake diploma, Ki-Woo, the son, lands a job as a private English teacher with the wealthy Park family. Gradually, through lies, scams and trickery, Ki-Woo brings his sister, father and mother into the household. Everyone now works for the Park family, but until when? And at what price?

Bong Joon Ho won the Palme d'Or for Parasite. You can't blame the film for being uninteresting. In fact, it's quite funny and very metaphorical. A little too much, even. The Korean director is a poet, and this shines through in the film. But a poet who doesn't master his figures of speech. Or perhaps he masters them too well, using and abusing them. The whole moral of the film is built on the discrepancy between high and low. There are those who live at the top, and those who live at the bottom. There are the rich and the poor.

The rich are necessarily honest, because they can afford to be. Virtue is priceless, except when you can own it. The poor aren't really bad, but they're clever and mischievous. We have to find a way to live after all. Even if it means breaking the law, even if it means destroying others, even if they're poor too. The picture painted by Bong Joon Ho in his screenplay isn't the most original, but it does have the merit of raising a real social issue while offering the viewer food for thought.

In terms of photography, nothing magnificent, but the shots are well shot. Particularly when it comes to plunging into the world of the poor, which is rendered with charm and authenticity through the camera. What's more, the little moments of everyday life under the hypnotic light of cell phones are truly beautiful, and more than inspiring. In fact, the praise could be extended to the film's mastery of lighting in general. Dark, it sometimes conveys anguish, sometimes the thirst for freedom.

But is all this enough to win a Palme d'Or? Clearly not. We can't say that Parasite is a bad film, nor is it unpleasant to watch. In fact, its madness is quite exceptional. Until the film becomes decidedly too long and turns sour. That it turns into complete nonsense. The Palme, still fresh for most of the film, fades at the end. The director overdoes it, the actors overdo it, the script overdoes it. The film goes from being as fine as a palm to as big as a mountain.

Photo credits: © Filmcoopi

Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com