By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Many directors bungle their social commentary by putting the message ahead of the movie. Every now and then, though, a film comes along that revolutionizes discourse on a major issue while still delivering one absolutely engrossing scene after another. The best example of this is Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, and you can now stream this Oscar-winning thriller on Netflix.
Parasite on Netflix had an outlandish plot in which a poor family embeds itself with a wealthy family so that they can each get a better job and possibly escape the cycle of poverty. However, the house has secrets of its own that threaten to disrupt the family’s scheme. The revelation of those secrets may change everyone’s lives…at least, those who manage to survive the chaos the family accidentally unleashes.
One reason to watch Parasite on Netflix is that it has the perfect cast, starting with Song Kang-ho, an actor best known for Memories of Murder and The Host. It also stars the late Lee Sun-kyun, best known for the film A Hard Day and the TV series Pasta. Other great cast members include Cho Yeo-jeong (best known for Obsessed) and Choi Woo-shik (best known for Okja and Train To Busan).
Before Parasite hid itself deep inside Netflix, it earned $258.1 million against a budget of about $11.4 million. This level of success helped make director Bong Joon Ho a household name and even inspired the development of a spinoff TV show meant to explore what was happening offscreen during the film. That show was announced back in 2020 and has had one major star (Tilda Swinton) already leave the project; despite the apparent lack of progress, though, Bong Joon Ho insisted recently that the series is still in development.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Parasite has a staggering critical score of 99 percent, with critics generally praising the film’s complex analysis of major social issues. As for the audience score, the film has a 95 percent, which helps showcase its broad appeal to general moviegoers and critics alike. All of this popularity culminated in the movie winning the Oscar for Best Picture, and it was the first non-English film to win this prestigious award.
Parasite is hardly the only thriller on Netflix, but it is definitely the one with the best social commentary, speaking to the kinds of economic woes most subscribers can relate to. Furthermore, the movie takes on the concept of privilege in a powerful and visceral way that never feels either screechy or preachy. It’s the kind of film that brings generations together, and it does so by highlighting exactly what is always tearing us apart.
Will you find Parasite as thrilling as critics and Academy Award voters did, or will you decide this film doesn’t live up to the hype after watching it on Netflix? You won’t know until you sneak into this streaming house and discover all of its dirty little secrets for yourself. Afterward, you can bask in the afterglow of the rare thriller that teaches you eye-opening lessons about society, all while leaving you on the edge of your seat.
