Bong Joon-Ho’s latest masterpiece, “Parasite,” is finally in select theaters and expanding by the week. The film is both universally praised by critics, with a mighty impressive 95 rating on Metacritic and 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and also a box office juggernaut that was setting records the moment it opened in a handful of theaters.
“Parasite” defies both categorization and comparison. The black comedy, is both hilarious, razor-sharp in its socio-political commentary, and at times more edge-of-your-seat thrilling than any horror movie. One key scene that helps this last bit is a sequence that Bong said was influenced by one particular franchise: “Mission: Impossible.”
During an Anatomy of a Scene video with the New York Times, the acclaimed director breaks down the scene in which the family attempts to get the housemaid for the rich family they’re working for fired, so they could get one of their own to replace her.
“This is some kind of nerdy family version of Mission: Impossible,” Bong says of the scene. As he puts it, the low-class Kim-family is infiltrating the upper-class Park-family, basically executing a heist in order to have the entire family employed by the Parks. There’s a moment where the son (Choi Woo-shik) is telling the father (Song Kang-ho) how to act out the script he has written. “It’s a humorous scene. In reality, the father is played by one of the most renowned actors and the son is an up and coming actor. It’s as if Ansel Elgort is teaching acting to Al Pacino. It’s funnier for the Korean audience.”
It’s a simple scene that demonstrates the director’s ability to make a film that’s intrinsically Korean, even if it appeals to a worldwide audience.
“Parasite” is now playing in select U.S. theaters. You can watch the video below.
