Bong Joon-Ho’s latest film, “Parasite,” is a vicious satire of class and wealth with a bloody twist. The first trailer for the Korean auteur’s movie showcases the best aspects of his sense of humor and his knack for sinister drama and tension.
“Parasite” is Bong’s return to his native language after making the English-language films “Snowpiercer” and “Okja.” “Parasite” also won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival before Neon scooped it up, with plans to release the film on Oct. 11.
“Parasite” is the story of a poor, unemployed family in South Korea who defrauds a wealthy, eccentric and gullible family by posing as various experts and servants and swindling their way into cushy jobs. The son of the poor family takes a job as a tutor of the wealthy family’s teenage daughter despite having no college degree. He then convinces his sister to pretend she’s a world-class art tutor, despite no formal training of any kind.
“Dad, I don’t think of it as forgery or a crime,” the son says to his unemployed father. “It’s a very opportune gift. Rich people are really gullible,” his father responds.
Of course, that’s only the setup. And the fun really begins once the family is in deep with their con. It’s a twist best left unspoiled, and it’s further one that’s helping it earn some of the best reviews of the year thus far.
Watch the first trailer for “Parasite” above.