It’s Official – The 21st Century’s Top Film Is a Twisted Tale of Class, Crime, and Clever Deception
More than 500 filmmakers, actors, and other Hollywood insiders were asked to pick the best movie released since the year 2000. This poll, done by The New York Times, had one clear winner at the top: Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite.
The film tells the story of two families in Seoul. One is poor and struggling. The other is rich and lives in a fancy home. When the son from the poor Kim family gets a tutoring job with the wealthy Park family, he sees a chance to bring the rest of his family in.
They each pretend to be professionals to get hired, one as an art teacher, one as a driver, and one as a housekeeper. It all seems clever and funny at first, but as the story unfolds, things get dark fast.
The movie isn’t just about a family tricking another. It’s really about money, power, and how unfair life can be for people who don’t have much. Bong Joon Ho, who wrote the movie with Han Jin-won, uses humor and tension to say something serious about how the world works.
In its article, The New York Times described Parasite as, “A tale of haves and have-nots, and a ferocious rebuke to the devastations of neoliberalism… Bong, a master of genre unbound by convention, fluidly shifts between broad comedy and blistering social satire throughout, then lights it all on fire with a paroxysm of tragic violence that’s as stunning as it is inevitable.”
Parasite did more than just impress critics. It made history by becoming the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars. It also took home three more awards that night. On top of that, the movie helped introduce many viewers to Korean cinema and foreign films in general. A lot of people who had never watched a subtitled movie before gave Parasite a chance, and loved it.
For Bong Joon Ho, this film changed everything. Before Parasite, he was known mostly to fans of international or indie films. After Parasite, he became one of the biggest names in global cinema.
The list from The New York Times also included other big titles like Mulholland Drive, Moonlight, There Will Be Blood, Spirited Away, and The Social Network. But even among those great films, Parasite stood out and grabbed the number one spot.
- Parasite
- Mulholland Drive
- There Will Be Blood
- In the Mood for Love
- Moonlight
- No Country for Old Men
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Get Out
- Spirited Away
- The Social Network
No matter where you stand on which film should be number one, there’s no denying the impact Parasite has had. It’s smart, sharp, and unforgettable. A movie that says a lot about the world we live in, while still keeping you at the edge of your seat.
Got thoughts on this pick? Share them in the comments.