Parasite is the latest concoction prepared by Korean director Bong Joon-Ho. The film provides a unique social commentary by telling the story of an impoverished Kim family and the wealthy Park family. As the Kims infiltrate the Parks household by taking jobs with the Parks it reveals the supposed parasitic nature of the lower class but Bong Joon-Ho provides a counter argument that perhaps the upper class may be the parasite on the lower class. The social commentary is delivered in an excellent story between the families using a multitude of filmmaking techniques which ultimately led to the film receiving critical acclaim and an oscar.

“As I watched the movie I found myself thinking about how the movie reflects asian culture as a whole,” Mclean Senior, Ian Choi said.

The impact Parasite had on asian culture was huge as it depicted the culture in a way that hadn’t been done as well before in film. Many asian students at McLean found themselves falling in love with the movie as they found relation within the scenes that showed the family interactions. 

“I really was on the edge of my seat the whole time despite it not really being an action it still was a thrilling movie,” Mclean Senior, Sooren Ghodshi said.

Parasite was a thriller that captivated it’s audience in a way that most films fail to realize in that Parasite didn’t use jump scares but used masterful suspense and visual imagery. 

“The scene when they were running down the basement stairway had me freaked,” Choi said.  

As Choi speaks on the stairway scene in the film he describes the suspense he felt during the moment. Parasite allows for the mind to wander and think, the thinking that the audience experiences is what creates the movie of parasite as it engages the mind to allow it to create suspense for itself rather then having it spelled out for it. This idea of creating space for the mind to wander was used quite thoroughly by Joon-Ho.

“I thought for so long after watching the movie about what the philosophy meant to me,” McLean Senior, Joseph Gong said. 

As many found themselves doing after the film they were captivated with their own thoughts. Bong knows that what makes a film great is it’s lasting impression and Parasite provides it in a surplus. 

“I’ve watched the movie like 3 times now and I’ve enjoyed every watch,” Ghodshi said.

As a film Parasite provides a compelling story that keeps the viewers captivated. Parasite as a whole shows the growing presence of Asians in general culture and is showing the positives of this revolution. The students of McLean embrace this by enjoying the film and recommending this to their friends.