PARASITE
BLACK AND WHITE
The new version of Parasite was actually made before the original color edition had its premiere in Cannes, where it won the Palme d'Or. Director Bong Joon Ho, with his director of photographer and colorist, worked on the new grading shot by shot. "You can't just put it in a computer and turn it into black and white," he said.
From Director Bong Joon Ho: “I'm extremely happy to present PARASITE in black and white and have it play on the big screen. It will be fascinating to see how the viewing experience changes when an identical film is presented in black and white. The black and white version felt more like a fable and gave me the strange sense that I was watching a story from old times.
The film felt more realistic and sharp as if I was being cut by a blade. It also further highlighted the actors’ performances and seemed to revolve more around the characters. I had many fleeting impressions of this new version, but I do not wish to define them before it is presented. I hope everyone in the audience can compare their own experiences from the color version and find their own path to PARASITE in black and white.”
Bong Joon Ho brings his work home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale. Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide "indispensable" luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims' newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks.
"This is the best movie of the year... A tonal marvel. "
FilmWeek
"You'll watch knowing you're in the hands of a master filmmaker... "
Seattle Times