Spoiler alert!
If you have not yet watched Bon Joon-ho's film "Parasite", You should not read this article which contains spoilers . If you agree to read, please select the below area where the texts are colored in white.
ネタバレ注意：
この記事は多くのネタバレを含んでいます。ポン・ジュノ監督作の『パラサイト 半地下の家族』を未鑑賞の方は読まないことをお勧めします。読むことに同意いただける
場合、この下のエリアを範囲指定していただくと白色に設定した文字をお読みいただけます。
"Parasite" is already recognized as a successful movie worldwide. This Korean film won the Palm d’Or at Cannes International Film Festival in May 2019. It became a big box-office draw over many countries, and this remarkable film has won numerous awards all over the countries. In March 2020, it became the first non-English language film in Academy Awards history to win Best Picture.
For whatever the reasons, this film was officially released in Japan in January 2020. Since May 2019, I tried not to expect it too much. An evaluation is frequently influenced by expectation. Thus I had tried to forget about this film, and I tried not to hear about its success in other countries.
In December 2019, I was fortunate to obtain a ticket of the advanced screening of Parasite with the stage greeting by the director Bong Joon-ho and the leading actor Song Kang-ho. As a matter of fact, 13 years have passed since this celebrated filmmaker and his muse have visited Japan together for the last time. Their precious ensemble visit already indicated how special this film could be.
After I watched this film for the first time, I found myself … Well, honestly speaking, my first impression was this is the opposite of Watcher in the Attic (『屋根裏の散歩者』江戸川乱歩著). The short-story is about a guy who wanders around the attic in an apartment, and this ambitious paranoid walker commits a murder. Then I remembered, I felt certain similarities to Rampo in Bong’s another film "Shaking Tokyo" (from a 2008 analogy film Tokyo!). Though I had not yet found any information that Rampo as Bong’s favorite author nor Bong is familiar with his works. Anyway, I found Rampo’s purity and accomplished elaborateness over eroticism in Bong’s film. Then, I also felt about another similar work, the Human Chair (『人間椅子』 江戸川乱歩著). Meanwhile the couple caresses each other, the parasite farther with his kids remains still under the sofa. A blind craftworker in the Human Chair resides in his own artwork, and he enjoys the feelings of human bodies. He sometimes gets out of the luxurious sofa commissioned for the lobby of a hotel, steals food and money.
By the way, I certainly did not like the use of Morse codes. The classical fundamental simple method tends to be the best, but we are already familiar with such an idea. We can be reminded about it in other films such as "AIBOU: The Movie II" (『相棒-劇場版II- 警視庁占拠！特命係の一番長い夜』). Also, I heard the Morse code is used in a Korean film called "EXIT". In order to use a classical fundamental simple method of communication in a way of encryption, I do not want Morse codes any more. Whereas Rampo offers a love-story Soroban tells (『算盤が恋を語る話』). I am not sure such an instrument as “Soroban”, a counting tray, ever existed in Korea, an encrypted communication with such a method could’ve been more interesting.
Also, I would like to say that I would not open the door at a stormy night no mater how hard the doorbell rang. Especially, for someone I had pushed out. I still have this feeling after I watched the film for the second time. I want another reason to open the door.
Let’s go back to the main subject of "Parasite" the movie. For my first watching, I strongly felt something was missing. I found similarities to two Rampo’s works and I wanted an originality. But I did not dislike the film. I liked strong images including smoking Jessica sitting on a flushing toilette and Song the father with red Indian hat. The vivid red blood spread over white breads reminded me of a Claude Chabrol. How unforgettable Jessica Jingle could be! Then it is interesting to see the description of the humiliation a person could feel through smelling. And, the father’s oppressed feelings burst out.
However, we do not see the ambition. Throughout the film, the family resides in a half-underground apartment has no ambition. It is “No plan”. Look at the Watcher in the Attic, Saburo is so ambitious to commit a murder not to be known by anyone including his friend, a brilliant detective Akechi who is similar to Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Saburo matures his scheme to murder. Whereas, Kevin starts with no plan. Neither does his father, laughing…
Before the opportunity to go watch this film again in February 2020 with another stage greeting “triumphal return to Japan after winning Oscars”, I reread those three Rampo’s works. (I happened to watch Miss Granny and I was a little disappointed to find the half-basement residence and allergy to peach. However, I immediately reconsidered; the feeling of déjà-vu is as well important.) It was interesting enough to see a rock in Watcher in the Attic, Some audiences seems to be quite interested to know what a rock signifies in Parasite. Though I was not attracted to the item for my first watch. As reading Watcher in the Attic again, I found a rock triggers Saburo’s action. Saburo moves into a newly built apartment, makes a bed in a closet and sleeps. As he scribbles on ceiling board, he finds it’s not securely fixed. He pushes it strongly, then the board falls off. There he finds some weight stones were placed. Then he starts wondering around the attic, monitoring the residents of the apartment. Kevin, receives a rock, when his friend asks him to go tutor at a luxurious house. When Kevin succeeds to deploy his family in the luxurious house, he fights against a drunkman – brandishing the rock. While Kevin does not know what to do with the basement resident, he keeps the rock against his chest. Kevin returns the rock into the river, when he knows his ambition; to purchase the luxurious house and save his father.
At last, I found Kevin’s ambition. There were many things I could confirm for the second time I watched it. And I hope I would enjoy it even more for third or further times.