There is nothing more exhilarating than having little knowledge of a film before experiencing it, and emerging with a plethora of theories, questions, and philosophies after going in for the ride.
When Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite made whirlwind news around film twitter after its Palm d’Or win, I knew I had to add it to my folder of critically-acclaimed films while I wait for the right time and mood to watch it. However, at that time, its growing publicity and surrounding hype in Twitter pushed it to the top of my list, to the point where I went in cold, without watching the trailer or reading any detailed reviews of it --- a decision that I have no regrets with.
Its fluidity to move across genres, the incredible pacing and storytelling, the ambiguity of its title, and the film’s multiple layers and depths of social class disparity, were all so flawlessly woven to deliver a modern, tragicomedy masterpiece that eats your cinematic soul. It’s even more impressive when you dive into Bong Joon Ho’s galaxy brain through his storyboards and screenplay.
To experience another film like this again might take another decade or probably another film from the same director, but overall, my remarkable experience of watching Parasite makes what movie-going such a joy, and something that I actually miss, most especially in this time.