Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) – C. Sciamma

It is tempting to see this film as revealing “secret women’s business” – not meant for the eyes of men – but that might serve to detract from the universal human emotions and experience conveyed by the characters and story.  Yet I am open to the possibility that love between two women feels different than love between a man and a woman (I shall never really know). The fact that this story takes place in the late 1700s heightens the “forbidden” and tragic aspects of the love affair between Heloise (offered by her mother to a Milanese noble) and Marianne the artist invited to paint her portrait. There are no men in the film to speak of, but aside from the mother (away for much of the film), there is a maid who is, probably unrealistically, treated as an equal by the two leads (and for whom we see the Eighteenth Century solution to another woman’s problem, this one a direct result of a man’s action). The three women make the most of the mother’s absence, enjoying their freedom and for Heloise (Adèle Haenel, previously in a relationship with the director Céline Sciamma) and Marianne (Noémie Merlant), it is a chance to explore their desires. If this all sounds a bit too mushy, in fact, the film feels rather stately and emotionally restrained for most of its length, making the rush of freedom that much more exciting, and the inevitable denouement that much more painful.  The isolation of the island and the crashing waves of the ocean offer a scenic (and metaphoric?) backdrop (and the film’s title turns out to be surprisingly surrealistically literal). In the end, perhaps it is the experience of seeing an ex after you have both moved on (for better or for worse) that is the more universal bittersweet feeling. However, when it is society that has blocked the relationship from continuing, the sadness may be much more palpable -- with the film’s obvious implication a hope that such barriers are no longer imposed today.

About Endlessness (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

About Endlessness (2019) – R. Andersson

If you haven’t seen a Roy Andersson film, you are really missing something – no one else makes movies like he does. Each shot is a set-piece, an anecdote (if you will) or simply a moment drawn from existence. His previous film was called A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014); if this sounds like a Far Side cartoon, then you are not far wrong -- Andersson’s sense of humour is ironic too. These shots are immaculately presented in perfectly designed environments using only muted pastel colours (this film is all white with greys, tans, blues, and greens). The camera is static, taking in the scene, which could be a panoramic landscape or just a room. I think of Jeff Wall’s photographs but Andersson adds movement (within the shot), dialogue, and music (and this time, a narrator who offers a single comment on each scene). The effect of each shot-scene is akin to the detonation of a “thought-bomb” with rippling waves of implications. This film may be about things that never end (such as the emotional states of grief or hurt) or perhaps about endings soon to come (death as the most obvious). This does give the film a dark tone but there are also joyous moments – Andersson is nothing if not an existentialist who wants us to really experience the moments in our lives, the downs as well as the ups, for these are the only things that matter. This film has one key recurring character: a priest who has lost his faith (Andersson is Swedish like Bergman). The priest visits a psychiatrist who tells him that maybe God really doesn’t exist and it would be better just to enjoy his life. This, then, is Andersson’s modus operandi in a nutshell: he offers us the opportunity to observe the poignant, gently ironic, telling, and simply mundane scenes of our shared existence and to reflect on them. And perhaps there is no better time than today, on New Year’s Eve during a pandemic, to contemplate our common humanity, our mutual capacity to experience joy and sorrow, and the perpetual events that cause them to be. 

 

First Cow (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

First Cow (2019) – K. Reichardt

Kelly Reichardt’s latest film is a mesmerising masterpiece.  Set in early 19^th century Oregon, she’s managed an authentic feel for the time and place (not unlike Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, 1995 – and whoa! Gary Farmer has a cameo here, speaking only in an Indigenous tongue) which really transported me. An opening quote suggests that the film will be about friendship and indeed we soon witness the first meeting of Cookie Figowitz (John Magaro) from Maryland and King-Lu (Orion Lee) from northern China; Cookie’s just arrived with a party of trappers (who seem to hate his guts) and King-Lu is naked, on the run from his enemies.  Together, they decide to strike up a business selling “oily cakes” using Cookie’s baking skill and King-Lu’s business acumen – however, their cakes rely on milk which needs to be illegally procured from the one cow in the territory, brought up by raft by Chief Factor (Toby Jones), a wealthy British local with pretentious airs. And thus, Reichardt’s film also turns out to be about capitalism and the difficulty that those without capital might have in getting a leg up. It isn’t a surprise that they try to leech off the wealthy and powerful nor that the wealthy and powerful might eventually decide to squash them (foreshadowed by the film’s very first sequence). The film is filled with delicious little moments (by an extended cast) and the gentle soundtrack is by William Tyler (with Stephen Malkmus showing up briefly as a busking fiddler). Highly recommended!

 

The Souvenir (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Souvenir (2019) – J. Hogg

Engrossing drama which follows Julia (Honor Swinton Byrne; yes, Tilda’s daughter), an aspiring British filmmaker, who starts an unfortunate romance with a man from the Foreign Office, Anthony (Tom Burke). The film takes place in the early ‘80s, as the fashion and musical cues (not to mention typewriters) quickly alert us – it feels right to me.  Director Joanna Hogg allows herself a number of unobtrusive stylistic flourishes but mainly tells the story from Julia’s perspective in a straightforward way, notwithstanding some significant ellipses in the plot.  Although we discover Anthony’s tragic secret (from Richard Ayoade no less) along with Julia, other crucial moments happen offscreen (e.g., Julia & Anthony’s discussion of the secret and Julia’s sharing of the secret with her mum, Tilda Swinton – yes, the actor’s real mum). In many ways, this is a coming-of-age tale, even though Julia is 25 – she has approached filmmaking naively, hoping to tell a kitchen sink drama without having experienced anything but privilege herself. The souvenir that Anthony leaves her is undoubtedly her own traumatic story to tell (although at one point I worried that the souvenir might actually be something more infectious). It seems that a sequel has already been completed and I’ll look forward to it.

 

Sorry We Missed You (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Sorry We Missed You (2019) – K. Loach

The gig economy is destroying lives! Director Ken Loach (b. 1936!) and writer Paul Laverty (b. 1957) use their neo-realistic (or is it kitchen sink) approach to depicting the lives of the working class to examine this thoroughly modern economic model (after examining how hard it is to get government benefits in I, Daniel Blake, 2016, which won the Palme D’or).  Ricky (Kris Hitchen) signs up to deliver parcels as a “franchise” owner – he has to buy his own van but receives the parcels and a route from the distribution centre run by brutish Maloney (Ross Brewter).  If he doesn’t arrive on time or misses a day without organising his own replacement driver or loses/damages the expensive contraption that scans the packages/signatures etc., he is in for hefty fines.  Of course, this situation immediately sets viewers on edge, knowing that something bad is going to happen.  But Loach keeps things personal and we first see the impact of this 14-hour day job on his family life – he has had to sell his wife Abbie’s (Debbie Honeywood) car, leaving her stuck on public transport to manage her job caring for elderly people in their homes (also treated as contract work paid only for limited time visits and not paid if clients require extra time, which a truly caring person would want to offer). When their teen son starts to get into trouble at school and then with the law, everything comes crashing down.  There is no sympathy from the distribution centre and the fines pile up.  We know that soon the competition will undercut Ricky by being willing to sacrifice their own lives to take his share of the market…and the rich business owners get richer, not having to pay insurance, retirement funds, vacation time, or anything else.  As they have been doing so well, Loach and Laverty hit the nail on the head but it’s a gruelling experience -- if only it can have some influence on society.

  

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Jojo Rabbit (2019) – T. Waititi

It may seem a brazen or tasteless move to make a comedy about the Holocaust but Kiwi director Taiki Waititi pulls it off – and he wasn’t the first: Mel Brooks joked about Springtime for Hitler in The Producers (1967), Jerry Lewis’s unfinished The Day the Clown Cried (1972) is embargoed until 2024, and of course, Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful (1997) won some Oscars with its sentimental comedy taking place in an actual concentration camp.  Waititi’s film has more of a Diary of Anne Frank slant with a young Hitler youth boy (Roman Griffin Davis) whose father is away (purportedly at the front) discovering that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in a hidden room upstairs.  Waititi himself plays the boy’s imaginary friend Adolf – yes, that Adolf but a lot more goofy than you would expect (but still a jerk who is prejudiced against those who are different).  The vibe here is similar to Wes Anderson’s films – colourful and with pop songs (both Beatles and Bowie singing in German) – which flies in the face of the content.  True, things do head in a sentimental direction (albeit with some jarring events) but Waititi and his writers use their comedic impulses wisely and stick it to the Fuhrer while also championing the stigmatised (Sam Rockwell is great as a subversively supportive Nazi officer).  They also demonstrate some insight into how a fatherless young boy might feel.  I had my doubts but Waititi succeeds at helping us to never forget the atrocities of the 20^th century while being cute and funny at the same time.

 

Dark Waters (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Dark Waters (2019) – T. Haynes

I don’t know whether this belongs to the “conspiracy thriller” genre (popular in the 70s) or a new genre that involves people fighting the system for justice (social or environmental; Erin Brockovich, 2000; The Report, 2019; more).  In this case, Mark Ruffalo is Rob Bilott, a lawyer for a big firm that usually works to defend corporations (particularly chemical companies) against lawsuits.  But when he is contacted by a farmer from West Virginia with sick cows as a result of a nearby landfill owned by Dupont, he decides to challenge the big chemical company. Director Todd Haynes (who also made Safe, 1995, another film about environmental contamination) knows all the right moves for this genre:  Bilott finds some clues suggesting malfeasance, then experiences setbacks when the company and his own firm (led by Tim Robbins) bristle, then has what appears to be a win but sees that win dissipate as the evil corporation uses its power over the government to get its way.  Haynes and Ruffalo easily conjure up the expected emotional reactions to the highs and lows in the story.  But remarkably, the effect is more powerful because Bilott is a real person and he really did sue Dupont and uncover the horror that was their willingness to sacrifice public health for profit (experimentation on people while testing whether Teflon was safe or not; dumping chemicals in the rivers of West Virginia).  Dupont’s stock price took another hit when this film was released – if what is presented here is true, they deserve it.  But the truly depressing part of the story is the moral: we can’t trust business and we can’t trust the government to look after people’s health and welfare.  This deserved lack of trust may have now opened the door to conspiracy theorists who run amok with crazy and dangerous pronouncements on the internet (about vaccinations, for example) that seem believable because, yeah, we’ve been betrayed before.  To conclude: the system has let us down and we need to rebuild community to fix it.  

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) – M. Heller

I am one of those people who grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS (and I sometimes wonder whether this is one of the things that encouraged me to move to Pittsburgh in the mid-90s).  I am still keen to see Morgan Neville’s recent documentary (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, 2018) but it hasn’t come my way yet.  Instead, despite my general dislike of Tom Hanks (as an actor, if not a person), who plays Fred Rogers, I thought I would give this film a try.  And I must confess that I liked it – because it is very weird!  First of all, it isn’t a bio-pic.  Instead, it is based on an Esquire magazine article that details how a cynical “broken” writer Lloyd Vogel, played by Mattthew Rhys, is assigned to interview Rogers in 1998 (for a special issue on “heroes”) and the transformative effect the meeting has on his life.  Sure, it is one of those uplifting films (like Silver Linings Playbook, which I also enjoyed) that can move you – but Hanks’ portrayal of Rogers is so damn odd that it is hard to look away.  At one point, he suggests that Vogel and he take a minute to think about all the people who loved and cared for us when we were small and the camera allows Hanks to gaze goofily out of the screen at us (this technique also seems drawn directly from attachment theory’s recent “security priming” interventions that boost well-being/reduce insecurity).  The problems that Vogel faces – family drama with dad Chris Cooper – are probably not too unusual and there are many adults with emotional problems out there – overcoming them for a heart-warming finale is screenwriting 101.  But the intervention of Mr. Rogers – the fact that there ever was such a person as Mr. Rogers – seems extraordinary.  Director Marielle Heller and her team manage to inject some creative elements (dream sequence, models of Pittsburgh and NYC that echo the TV show’s sets/methods) but in the end it is Hanks who pulls this off.  Now I’m going to be gentler with my kids!

  

Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019) – Q. Tarantino

As with all of QT’s films, this one is extremely problematic in so many ways.  I hesitated to give it 4 stars (relegating it to my better film blog rather than to the annex) but I was impressed by the performances offered by Brad Pitt (as an out-of-work stunt man) and Leonardo DiCaprio (as a fading second-string star).  Tarantino’s efforts to recreate the past, in this case 1969 in Hollywood, are as always unparalleled.  Being old myself, I appreciated the nostalgia for the analogue world (and TV Guide!) even if the events depicted – encompassing the lead-up to the Manson murders – happened before I can remember.  I didn’t much care for the past two Tarantino films (Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) but Once Upon a Time has less in common with them and harkens back a bit more to the pacing and rhythms of Jackie Brown (1997), which is one of his best.  While watching, I had mixed feelings about the long scenes (in an already long film) of Pitt driving around or DiCaprio acting in TV westerns but I have to admit that they do establish the characters, the setting, and the tone. The Spahn ranch episode is especially creepy.  Of course, QT is working around the edges in every scene, filling the soundtrack with period music and radio DJs, decorating the set with period props and furniture, getting every detail right (kudos to his art department).  There are a lot of references and in-jokes, to be sure. However, Once Upon a Time does have grander objectives than just reproducing the past – Tarantino wants to say something about Hollywood’s loss of innocence as a result of the Manson murders (as well as various implicit and explicit side comments about Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Bruce Lee, and the industry).  Everything builds to the murders and viewers are naturally in dread as the date nears – DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton actually lives next door to the murder house on Cielo Drive. I won’t spoil the movie but it should come as no surprise that Tarantino revels in the depiction of terrible violence. He seems to be using the film to lash out at “hippies” and the way the counter-culture overwhelmed and perhaps destroyed the film and TV days of old – or perhaps this is just assuming that he identifies with Pitt and DiCaprio’s characters who belong to that older world. If he does, then the film might be a sort of fantasy wish fulfilment for him.  But a lot of viewers won’t want to go through the ordeal of the final scenes even if the denouement grants QT’s wish.   

The Farewell (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Farewell (2019) – L. Wang

I don’t know much about Awkwafina (she’s also a rapper?) but she has an easy-going charm that helps to carry this film by new director Lulu Wang.  The story is personal but it references cultural differences that likely affect most migrants, particularly those crossing from East to West (or vice versa).  For example, the rights and duties of families versus individuals may be very different (this is practically a cliché by now, of course).  This traditional conflict comes to a head when the grandmother of Billi (Awkwafina) is diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer back in China and the family decides not to tell her -- with the complicity of the hospital.  Having grown up in New York, Billi is stunned by what she perceives to be the lack of dignity afforded to her grandmother but her family maintains that it is their responsibility to bear the emotional weight of the situation and to protect “Nai Nai” from its stresses.  That’s the plot in a nutshell and the screen time is used primarily to flesh out the family dynamics:  everyone has returned to China for a (faux) wedding between Billi’s cousin and his Japanese girlfriend which is really an excuse to see Nai Nai one last time.  The mix of drama and comic relief is deft and the music (by Wang herself on piano) helps to guide our emotional responses.  It’s an easy film to like despite its heavy theme – perhaps the universality of the events and the contemplation of different ways of responding to them across cultures provides an access point, regardless of one’s origin.  Awkwafina (aged 30 here) might also attract Millenials who are shaping up to be a very amusing generation. 

Ad Astra (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Ad Astra (2019) – J. Gray

Moody, meditative, even melancholy science fiction that stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut following in the footsteps of a famous father (Tommy Lee Jones in a cameo) and reflecting on the man and his (psychological) influence.  There’s more to it than that, of course, but not much more – this is minimalist filmmaking (from director James Gray) that aims to hypnotise viewers (and succeeds).  Pitt provides a restrained internal performance that seems most unbelievable when he awakens emotionally to the events around him. Basically, he is co-opted into the search for his father who disappeared decades ago but may now be threatening the Earth from somewhere out beyond Neptune.  Major McBride (Pitt) is torn between his admiration for his father and his sense of duty to the Space Force. As with Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1973), ruminations about relationships (this time, father-son relations) are dressed up with a matter-of-fact look at life in the future (commercial flights to a tourist trap moon, not far from a warzone over mining rights) and some dreamy visuals.  Plus a few action sequences to spruce things up. Perhaps the ending (apparently foisted on the director) doesn’t quite fit, given the trauma experienced by McBride (across a lifetime) but Pitt makes a noble effort with the lines.  Worth a look, if you’re on this wavelength.

The Lighthouse (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Lighthouse (2019) – R. Eggers

Robert Eggers’ follow-up to The Witch (2015) is a must-see just for its incredible craftmanship alone, not to mention the passion and intensity that all involved seem to have put into it.  Whereas The Witch took us very realistically back to the 1630s, The Lighthouse is set in 1890 (and iMDb suggests his next film is a 10^th century Viking revenge film!!!).  Again in impressive black and white (with Oscar nominated cinematography by Jarin Blaschke) using old lenses/equipment that required blazing lights and still resulted in a very dark look -- in line with the dark themes.  Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play lighthouse keepers (or “wickies”) who serve their time on an isolated off-shore rock in rotating month-long shifts.  Only the seagulls (which Dafoe’s salty old seafarer calls the souls of departed seamen) are there to keep them company or to act as adversaries even.  Whereas Dafoe’s Thomas Wake is used to the job, Pattinson (playing E. Winslow) is a first-timer and we basically take his point-of-view, which may be unreliable, as he learns the ropes and starts to wonder whether Wake is keeping secrets from him.  As could be expected, the isolation starts to have ill effects on Winslow’s mind and his relationship with Wake.  The two actors, basically the only players here, fully commit to their roles which require some extreme actions – and I think we can agree that Pattinson and Dafoe are the right actors for this journey.  Of course, the look of the film is incredible, with its period detail, clothes, sets, and so on, but the dialogue itself is also drawn from period sources and Dafoe in particular dishes up some amazing monologues.  Eggers even fashioned designed some shots after old paintings.  Of course, it all leads up to the mystery of the light itself, which has some Lovecraftian aspects.  Gruelling but humorous and absorbing and highly recommended!

Marriage Story (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Marriage Story (2019) – N. Baumbach

I approached Marriage Story with some trepidation.  I’m not generally keen to evoke memories of my own past failed relationships (nor my parents’ divorce when I was a kid).  Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage (the five-hour version from 1973) was challenging enough and I haven’t returned to Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) since my parents took us to it back then either.  Yet, I am mostly happy to report that I didn’t really identify with the characters in Marriage Story.  Adam Driver plays Charlie, a theatre director about to debut on Broadway and Scarlett Johansson plays Nicole, the lead actress in the theatre troupe, previously in Hollywood movies.  They have an 8-year-old son, Henry (Azhy Robertson).  Their relationship comes apart because Nicole feels that she has lost her identity and that Charlie selfishly dominates all of their decisions (and he also slept with another woman).  She moves with Henry to LA to be with her mother (Julie Hagerty) and family and to star in a TV series.  Charlie and Nicole are apparently based on director Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh who are also divorced. So, it is no surprise that the movie seems to take Charlie’s point-of-view and is somewhat more sympathetic to him – or is that just my “male” perception of the film?  Nicole clearly has some valid points but her decision to hire tough divorce lawyer, Nora (played enthusiastically by Laura Dern), does take their negotiations in an antagonistic direction, even as we know that the couple still loves each other.  Charlie’s mild-mannered lawyer (Alan Alda) is no real match for Nora.  As viewers, we hope that everything turns out OK for everyone, including Henry who is caught in the middle and clearly more of a mother’s boy (perhaps justifiably so), swaying the custody battle.  It’s all very complicated just as reality is; the acting by the principals is strong and nuanced, the screenplay feels mostly authentic with lots of small “moments” (but I’m not that convinced by that one “unfair” fight) – yet, these people are not like people I know.  Something keeps them at a distance (their social status, perhaps? Or have I been away from the US too long?).  In any event, a failure to identify probably protected me from unpleasant emotions.  Thoughtful music plays.   

The Irishman (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Irishman (2019) – M. Scorsese

Although it is hard to escape the feeling that Scorsese is repeating himself, I found The Irishman fully engrossing for most of its 3 ½ hour length (yes, I viewed this in one sitting using a Netflix free trial).  However, the “de-aging” technology created by Industrial Light & Magic (to allow seventy-somethings Robert De Niro and Al Pacino to play younger versions of their characters without make-up) is pretty disconcerting – De Niro (with blue contacts) looks almost like Alec Baldwin.  Nevertheless, if you are ready to return with Scorsese to the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies (primarily) to see an aging hit-man (De Niro) who comes to work for Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino) negotiating his conflicting loyalties, between the mob (led by Joe Pesci with a cameo by Harvey Keitel) and obstinate Hoffa, then it is a good watch.  Scorsese uses all of the tricks of the trade – especially those that he is known for (travelling shots with music, etc.).  The acting is as good as it could be – Pesci underplays to great effect (especially given his polar opposite portrayal in Goodfellas, 1990).  Pacino tries (but fails) to escape his usual self and De Niro effectively disappears (more or less) into his character, who is rather stunted in any event.  In fact, it is hard to get a good read on De Niro’s Frank Sheeran – he is more an observer than a player, just following orders (whether it be to carry out hits or lead a local union branch – he’s a good soldier).  You can see why De Niro was overlooked when it came to acting award nominations since he isn’t very flashy – but solid as always.  Despite its length, however, it does seem that Scorsese gave short shrift to Sheeran’s family relationships (Anna Paquin has little to do as his estranged daughter) which makes the sad denouement a little less effective.  Still, Scorsese undoubtedly wanted to focus on the Pacino-Pesci-De Niro triumvirate and they are worth the price of admission.  So, think about this as Scorsese’s “greatest hits” album, bringing together all of his friends and past colleagues (including great editing from Thelma Schoonmaker), and you won’t be too far wrong.  Of course, he indulges himself (the film could have been shorter and tighter) but you want him to, don’t you?  

  

Parasite (2019)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Parasite (2019) – J.-H. Bong

Like many Korean films (by Bong Joon-ha, Park Chan-wook, and their contemporaries), Parasite is somewhat unclassifiable – is it a thriller, a black comedy, or something more sui generis? Certainly, it is undeniably about social class, making it hugely relevant for this moment in time.  The Kim family (led by Bong regular Song Kang-ho) are down-and-out but pragmatic and scrappy, they make ends meet through a variety of part-time jobs and little scams, suffering various indignities as a result of their low status (customers from a nearby pub literally piss on their sub-basement flat).  However, things change when son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) is recommended to be a tutor to a rich high school girl by his friend who is leaving the position to study abroad; although he hasn’t gone to university himself, he is quick-thinking enough to fake his way into the role. This is easier because the mother of the rich Park family (Jo Yeo-jeong) is fragile and gullible, easily convinced to make changes to her family’s situation to ward off various threats.  And, thus, rather comically, the entire Kim family is soon employed in a variety of positions by the Parks who do not know their “servants” are all related and conning them.  Or are they?  The Kims might actually be providing genuine services to the Parks, parasitic though they might be (a kinder word would be symbiotic).  Nevertheless, the Parks (particularly father Lee Sun-kyun) do look down on the Kims (making their position dependent on continually pleasing the rather capricious bosses); as a result, the Kims resent and take advantage of the Parks whenever they can.   Things get weirder when competition among the lower class erupts and the Kims need to fight to maintain their cushy position, living off the Parks’ largesse. If this sounds like reality, then Bong has done his job, although the final reel might need more analysis then I can commit without spoilers.  Parasite won the Palme D’or this year at Cannes but it isn’t always an easy or satisfying watch – but ultimately thought-provoking and pessimistic.