Parasite (2019)

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho, the South Korean equivalent of Steven Soderbergh; he makes films about different socio-economic brackets and their respective challenges, but will occasionally do something fun and light-hearted. He's very well-regarded.

Starring: The Korean equivalents of Al Pacino, Ansel Elgort, and any type of actor in between. This is prestige cinema

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Parasite was mostly really sad. It reminded me of the wealthy friends I've visited, but only the ones whose parents were never around. It really earns the Best Picture Oscar it won last year, but it's so downbeat it's hard to get excited about it. 

That said, it's pretty baller. The first hour is non-stop thrills and the second half is non-stop suspense that has you shaking in your seat. The performances are great, the film is great to look at, and the intricacy of the plot is just mind-blowing. This feels like it was adapted from a book, but it wasn't - the creators were just able to think up an insane number of details to include that enriched the story. 

This thread from a fan (Insights On Parasite As a Korean) is worth reading afterwards too; the film is apparently a good snapshot of contemporary South Korean issues, and from there a snapshot of international issues. On a personal level, it reminds me of my own experience growing up overseas; there's education and prosperity, but the socio-economic ideals we have in America don't exist, so you have no reason to think a wealthy person will give a fig about you. As someone who's had periods with little money, and been in a position to see others with little money in the international community, it feels almost uncomfortably authentic, which I suppose is the whole point of it.

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It's on Hulu. Decent use of two hours. It's got a fair bit of swearing (in Korean) and there's a sex scene about an hour and 28 minutes in that you can skip forward two minutes to dodge. It's also a little bit violent. But overall it's a lot more restrained than a Bong Joon-Ho flick usually is, and got a lot going for it. You're likely to see something you recognize. Recommend to adults, and kids who want to be scared and confused