Parasite (15)
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
 

AFTER winning the top prize at Cannes last year, Bong Joon Ho's film has been taking the awards circuit by storm — it's currently got six Oscar nominations.

A masterclass in social commentary is encased within this slick, stylish and dark tragicomedy, an intense roller-coaster ride which ends up in a completely different place to where it starts.

Set in South Korea, the film centres on two families. The street-smart Kims are unemployed and poor, while the clueless Parks are the epitome of aspirational wealth.

Their symbiotic relationship begins when the Kims' son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) cons his way into tutoring the Parks's daughter Da-hye (Jung Ji-so) and gets his sister (Park So-dam) to provide art therapy for Da-hye's younger brother (Jung Hyun-jun), whose young and simple mother (Jo Yeo-jeong) believes her son is a born artist.

But she is troubled as he runs rampant, firing the Indian arrows bought in the US at her and the housekeeper. In fact, he is just a spoilt rich brat.

From the onset, the film points up the widening divide between rich and poor. The Kims live in a semi-basement flat which sees little sunlight, while the Parks's home is a spacious, airy house drenched in light at the top of the town which looks down on the poorer quarters.

While a deluge is just an inconvenience to the Parks, it completely destroys the Kims' home. They may aspire to the life of Mr Park (Lee Sun-kyn) and his family but the latter are oblivious to the needs of their staff, whom they treat as disposable.

Arrogant and prejudiced, they show their disgust at the stench of the impoverished classes.

By the end it is hard to tell who is the parasite in Bong Joon Ho's razor-sharp and multilayered horror thriller.

But it is a shocking and unforgettable ride and one that deserves every cinematic accolade.