Overview
A darkly comedic exploration of class struggle and deception unfolds as a poor family infiltrates the lives of the wealthy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- witty
- sardonic
- foreboding
- thought-provoking movie night
- international cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Bong Joon Ho's stylish, darkly comic thriller as an exceptionally controlled and thematically rich critique of class exploitation and capitalism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Kims' semi-basement, the Parks' elevated modernist home, and the house's hidden levels turn class divisions into recurring spatial imagery.
The Parks repeatedly identify a distinctive smell associated with Ki-taek and poverty, making class prejudice intimate and corporeal.
The family's playful employment scam gradually becomes a claustrophobic domestic thriller without abandoning its dark humor.
The Kims infiltrate the Park household for income while the Parks depend on layers of invisible domestic labor and treat poverty as contamination.
Films like Parasite, and why
The Square
shared class conflict, darkly comic social satire, and escalating domestic tension
The Talented Mr. Ripley
shared con-artist plotting, class anxiety, and morally unstable thriller structure
The Menu
shared sharp economic satire, family manipulation, and tonal shifts between comedy and menace
Shoplifters
shared working-class desperation, social inequality, and suspenseful intrusion into wealthy domestic spaces
Movie Details
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
- Release Date
- 2019-05-30
- Runtime
- 133 min
- Rating
- 8.5 / 10 (21395)
Cast
- Song Kang-ho
- Lee Sun-kyun
- Cho Yeo-jeong
- Choi Woo-shik
- Park So-dam
- Lee Jung-eun
- Jang Hye-jin
- Park Myung-hoon
- Jung Zi-so
- Jung Hyeon-jun
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Parasite about?
- A desperate Seoul family infiltrates a wealthy household, turning an ingenious employment scam into a volatile anatomy of class resentment.
- What is Parasite like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Parasite as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Parasite violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Parasite as graphic.
- What did critics think of Parasite?
- Critics broadly regard Bong Joon Ho's stylish, darkly comic thriller as an exceptionally controlled and thematically rich critique of class exploitation and capitalism.
- Which films are like Parasite?
- Films with a similar feel include The Square, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Menu, and Shoplifters.
- How long is Parasite?
- Parasite runs 133 minutes.
- Where can I watch Parasite?
- In United States, Parasite is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling.
