Parasite 2019

A Tale of Two families. Set in South Korea this superb and troubling film concerns the haves and have not's in the country, but of course it could be set anywhere. One family the Kim's so below the poverty line that the director Bong Joon-Ho has them living in a squalid cramped dirty sub basement while the Park family lives in a bright open beautifully designed modern home where light and beauty is a constant fixture in the house. The plot or storyline if you prefer is complicated and I have to be very careful not to give any of the twists and turns away. I will say that the story is about one family who wants what the other family has and goes to great lengths and imagination to get what they think they deserve. Joon-Ho who is a national treasure in Korea and is mainly known here for "Snowpiercer" a wild and epic sci-fi horror jolt and he is at this time a favored candidate for a best director Oscar for "Parasite" and how well deserved that would be. The film is lush with stunning horizontal scenes of beauty and despair and it can be said that the house itself is one of the major stars of the film, along with the great cast. Top notch is Song Kang-ho as the poor father who is a major star in Korea and a favorite of Joon-Ho and has appeared in most of his films. Also great is Lee Jung Eun as the kind of ditzy and out of it wife of the rich tycoon and both should get Oscar nominations. A lot of the material is disturbing and shocking, we just don't expect any of it, at least I didn't which adds to the brilliance of the film, there were audible gasps heard in the theatre throughout the film so take this as a warning. A possible contender for the best film of 2019.