Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Writer(s): Ho and Jin Won Han
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, and So-dam Park

What could I possibly add to this conversation that the 400+ critics on Rotten Tomatoes (plus hundreds of others outside that network), many of whom are far more educated than I, haven’t already said?

This is impeccably-crafted, transcendent cinema; that rare movie that tears down global lines and proves that, at the end of the day, we not only belong to one world and not just one continent, but that we are all human. What other foreign movie, perhaps since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon two decades prior, have forced large quantities of mainstream American cinemagoers to face the unimaginable torture of having to read subtitles for two hours? And, even more amazingly, left them wanting to discuss it with anyone who will listen immediately thereafter?

That alone should tell you everything you need to know about Parasite. Forget whatever qualms you have about the director, or subtitles, or foreign cinema in general, or whatever else is stopping you from watching it, and just go see it. The only tip I have is to go into it as clueless as possible. You may watch the below trailer, because it does a good job of piquing interest without revealing any spoilers (surprisingly), but outside of that, read nothing else; let director Bong Joon Ho be your guide through his twisty, genre-bending mashup.

It doesn’t matter where your movie preferences lean, because Parasite has a little bit of everything. There’s some suspense, creepiness, and violence, but all those things play second fiddle to the human aspect; almost every single character, no matter what “side” their on, feels like a real person that we could get to know. This gives them a natural likability that is only strengthened by the frequent moments of (sometimes dark, but often hilarious) humor. It also gives us a wider net to forgive the more far-fetched ideas that Joon-ho presents, which largely go unnoticed (or, at the very least, unscrutinized) thanks to the film’s many strengths; it’s almost as if he somehow programs his scenes to bypass the “logical” center of our brain, and head straight for the “emotional” section…and it works.

Seriously, if you consider yourself a fan of movies at all—whether in a spectator or creator role—just see it. There’s inspiration here for almost everyone, thanks to a prodigious filmmaker who, we have to assume, is at the very peak of his craft—and at a level far beyond what many could ever hope to achieve.

RATING: 10/10

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The Lobster (2015)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writer(s): Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, and John C. Reilly

I have never minced words when it comes to the kinds of films I tend to like. For example, I avoid Hollywood “blockbusters” like the plague, because watching $200 million worth of computer effects, mixed with embarrassing tidbits of required “humor”, just does nothing for me. Likewise, I get bored very easily, so slogging through derivative drivel is the quickest way to ensure that I'll be dozing off at around the midway point. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I'm somewhat of a cinema snob, and that's precisely why Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster appealed to me.

It's the kind of film where all you need to do is read a couple sentences of the plot synopsis to know that it is strange: It all takes place in a mysterious future society where single people are rounded up and taken to The Hotel; there they have 45 days to fall in love with a suitable match, or else they will live out the rest of their lives as an animal of their own choosing.

In this case, we follow David (Colin Farrell), an awkward (as everyone in this movie is), unconfident nerd of a man that chooses the titular character because, among other reasons, he “enjoys the sea”. He arrives at The Hotel with his dog, which also happens to be his brother (he failed to find a mate during his 45-day sentence) and is notified of the ground rules: no sex between single people is allowed, nor is masturbation, but oral sex from the hotel's maid is fine. Other than that, the Singles are free to walk around and mingle, but must arrive in time for dinner, where all inhabitants watch mandatory dinner skits extolling the virtues of partnership (in one, a woman walking alone is attacked by a man, which doesn't happen when she has a husband walking with her; in another, a lonely man chokes to death, whereas his wife performs the Heimlich and saves him).

The humor, which is rather dry and awkward, unquestionably won't be for everyone, but there are some moments that I found downright hilarious. A majority of them involve David's forced attempt to match with a lady known only as Heartless Woman, so-called for her stunning disregard for human suffering. In one instance, David joins Heartless Woman in a hot tub, where she proceeds to choke to death on an olive, with David making no effort to help her—as it turns out, she was merely attempting to test their compatibility together. Ironically, by not doing anything to save her, Heartless Woman agrees that they would make a good match.  On paper, this sequence might not sound funny, but thanks to the atmosphere of deadpan humor, Yanthimos pulls it off with straight-faced fervor.

Since it's a movie that will widely be classified as “bizarre”, that means John C. Reilly is required by law to appear in it; he fulfills his contractual obligation by playing a character known only as Lisping Man (none of the Singles in the mansion are referred to by name; instead they are called by identifying traits), who ends up receiving a harsh, primitive punishment for masturbating in his Hotel room (in a scene that somehow manages to be both unnerving and completely absurd).

Shortly after this, Heartless Woman discovers that David has only been pretending to be like her all along, when she beats his dog/brother to death. Upon hearing this, and seeing the evidence of blood all over her feet and legs, he runs into the bathroom to cry, and is caught; feeling their partnership was founded on a lie, she threatens to report him to the Hotel Manager, where he will be subject to punishment. David has other ideas, though: with the help of the maid, he tranquilizes Heartless Woman, and turns her into an unspecified animal. Realizing he will probably be caught if he sticks around, he escapes the Hotel and runs off into The Woods, joining a pack of nomads known only as Loners.

Even the Loners have their own set of rules, and chief among them is that romance between Loners is punishable by the “red kiss”: that's where the offending couple have their lips cut off and are then forced to press them together. Our narrator, who is known only as Short-Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz), mentions that there is also “red intercourse” punishment, but she has never seen it done and doesn't even want to imagine what it could possibly entail. She gets closer and closer to possibly finding out, as she quickly falls for David, something that gradually starts to rub the leader of the Loners (Lea Seydoux) the wrong way. Will their love be enough to save them from the ire of their group, or will they have to face their stiff punishment?

There is a lot of social commentary in The Lobster, and perhaps the most effective bit is the way that partnership and marriage is forced on the inhabitants of The City; it's not a far cry at all from the way single people are generally referred to as “inferior” in today's society. From the moment we are old enough to listen, most people are taught that a life well-lived means falling in love with someone, getting married, and having children; the laws of The City consist of this idea taken to chilling extremes.

The performances are hard to critique, because all of the actors are intentionally wooden and awkward, which feed into the film's deadpan style; this was clearly designed to bring attention to the emotionless state of this future, where people quite literally go through the entire motion of life. It's a fascinating little touch--one that, like everything else in this movie, seems designed to divide viewers right down the middle—but an artistic decision that also makes sense within the context of the story. Even more telling is that it's impossible to imagine this film being played straight.

It doesn't always succeed in what it's trying to do; it does manage to taper off a bit as it winds down from its identity as awkward comedy, and starts focusing more on the love story aspect. I thought the first 90 minutes were actually pretty brisk, with everything moving along at a great pace, and then it kind of seemed to run out of ideas, ironically once the focus came on the budding romance between David and Short-Sighted Woman. That's not to say that I found it dull at any point, just that it's ideas taper off at just the moment I was expecting them to kick into overdrive.

There is also quite a bit of animal cruelty, so those with an affinity for the well-being of animals might have a difficult time making it through a couple of parts. Of course, these scenes are simulated, so no animals are actually harmed, but the scenes are realistic enough that it could easily upset people. This is neither a “pro”, nor “con” so much as it is just a warning...I was unprepared for it, and while the animal violence didn't upset me, it definitely did my wife, to the point that I don't think she would have agreed to watch it with me had she been made aware of it beforehand.

Lanthimos, you may recall, is also the director of Dogtooth, another film that's fairly well-known in some circles for its abounding strangeness. If you like that film, chances are you will like this one; at the very least, you will know what to expect. I liked Dogtooth, but wasn't blown away by it. The Lobster, though, feels like the perfect natural extension of his talents, taking a surrealistic set of ideas, and somehow combining them in such a way that it could appeal to more open-minded mainstream viewers; for this reason alone, it should be considered some kind of masterpiece.

RATING: 8/10

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Dream Home (2010)

Director: Pang Ho-cheung
Writer(s): Ho-cheung, Kwok Cheung Tsang, and Chi-Man Wan
Starring: Josie Ho, Juno Mak, Norman Chu, and Eason Chan

I am not at all a fan of the typical American “slasher” film.  There’s just something about the vast majority that leaves me unsatisfied.  My problem is that most of them feel like those pornos that try to have a plot…is anyone really following along with that?  You know everyone is fast forwarding through the talking just to get to the “action” scenes.  Same with slashers.  Why waste 75 minutes of screentime watching usually amateur actors struggle their way through poorly written lines (and clumsy sex scenes), just to get to 10 minutes of generally unimpressive deaths?  While I understand the concept (people like sex and violence and they generally do big business), I’ve never understood why so many films in this subgenre manage to be so bland and lifeless (pun not intended).

Other countries seem to understand the potential, though.  Enter Hong Kong’s Dream Home, directed by Pang Ho-cheung, a film that delivers everything the standard slasher movie requires, while simultaneously turning the subgenre on its ear.  In this case, the killer is not some indestructible masked maniac who kills teenagers in tired ways—it’s Cheng Lai-Shung, a petite woman who dreams of owning a flat with the perfect view of the sea…and will stop at nothing to get it.

The deaths are prolonged, and incredibly violent; they have got to be some of the most realistic murder sequences I’ve seen.  Characters don’t just get stabbed once and then fall to the ground motionless, or get strangled for five seconds before succumbing; in real life, the body is very resilient, and will attempt to do whatever it takes to survive, a notion that’s sometimes chillingly realized here.  Characters survive for minutes after being disemboweled, a pregnant woman is suffocated for what feels like an eternity in the most heinous way imaginable, and there is plenty more where that came from.  I’ve always wanted to make a standard slasher where the only difference is the deaths are agonizingly drawn-out lifelike; my point being to cross a standard form of entertainment where we are basically encouraged to cheer on death, only taking it so far that there’s no “entertainment” left.  While this is not the point of Dream Home, it’s certainly the closest a movie has ever come to reaching that plateau.

But there’s also substance to go along with its graphic style:  Dream Home jumps around chronologically, almost Tarantino-style, to gradually reveal her reasons for the murders, as they are playing out.  We’ll watch Cheng kill a person or two, then flash back to reveal another tidbit of what eventually drove her to such an uncontrollable rage.  I’ll admit that, in the beginning, it really kind of makes you feel for her; by the end, you’ll gradually start understanding just how one-dimensional her murder spree really is.  I also appreciated the decision to make her every bit as vulnerable as her victims, who are usually bigger and stronger; when her element of surprise doesn’t work (or wears off), she’s susceptible to taking damage herself.  I thought this was a welcome change from the norm. 

While the film is also marketed as a black comedy, and I guess there’s just enough of it to keep it from being a completely ugly film (thematically; visually, it’s very well-shot), just an advanced warning that there is nary a single likable character.  While this certainly doesn’t justify the murders (nor do I believe that is its intention), it manages to make an already dark film feel even more pessimistic and cruel.  We may hate Cheng, but we don’t really have anyone else to latch on to, either.  That being said, it never even comes close to reaching the depths of depravity of a film like, say, Salo does, but there are times when it seems entirely focused, hellbent even, on crossing lines to make the viewer feel uncomfortable.

But in the end, isn’t that what these types of movies should be all about?  In some ways, “horror” feels to movies what “punk” is to music; a genre that’s all about breaking rules and making people uncomfortable.  Dream House certainly does both of those things, with such a reckless abandon that it becomes nothing less than admirable.

RECAP: It’s endlessly dark (save for some minor humorous bits), and ridiculously violent, but I loved Dream Home for taking the basic slasher movie, and singlehandedly rejuvenating it.  There are no indestructible madmen offing campers with absolute ease; instead we have a vulnerable, petite woman, obsessed with purchasing a specific apartment, killing neighboring tenants in unflinchingly graphic fashion.  Its jumpy presentation (frequently switching from past to present) will no doubt confuse and/or annoy some, but I thought it was a great addition.  If you love slasher movies, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot, but be forewarned; much of the violence blurs the line between “mindless entertainment”, and “shocking realism”.

SCORE: 8.5/10

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