Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture-winning Parasite swept the Oscars last night, and stands as one of the most surprising and deserving winners of the top award.
But if you’ve seen the film more times than you can count, and still want a similar fix, here are five films like Parasite to watch if you loved the movie.
The Handmaiden (2016)
There aren’t many movies out there better than Parasite, let alone South Korean films. But there’s one that just pips it: Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden.
A crazed, psychotic thriller that winds through the life of a young handmaiden in colonial Korea and her relationship with a Japanese heiress, the film is nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat stuff all the way through.
With thrills and spills in the same vein as Parasite, The Handmaiden goes one further with its unsettling and electrifying atmosphere that blends gorgeous visuals and arousing thrills over the course of two and a half exhilarating hours.
Read a full review here.
The Host (2006)
The Oscars may have run with no host, but Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s earliest international triumph came in the form of this unique sci-fi thriller.
The tale of the crisis that erupts when a monster appears in the Han River in the centre of Seoul, The Host is a brilliant interpretation on the classic creature feature, combining sci-fi thrills with incisive and biting social commentary in its look at the media and environmental issues.
Powering along with the same energy as Parasite as it shows a city in chaos, it’s captivating and exciting all the way through. And with Parasite star Song Kang-ho and the beloved Bae Doona both in leading roles, there’s no shortage of talent in this thrilling film.
Read a full review here.
North By Northwest (1959)
Taking a step away from South Korean filmography for a moment, we have Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary thriller North By Northwest, which is a whole lot more like Parasite than you think.
Much like the Best Picture winner, Hitchcock’s classic is an ingeniously crafted thriller that whirls and winds its way through two and a half hours of excitement. With twists upon twists upon twists in an increasingly maddening and seemingly senseless series of events, it’s a breathless watch that keeps you guessing all the way through.
If you love a great thriller like Parasite, then Hitchcock’s classic is undoubtedly worth the watch. It’s a great piece of film history that stands tall as one of the sleekest, most exciting movies ever made, not to mention an inimitable lead turn from Cary Grant.
Read a full review here.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Bong Joon-ho has said all the way through awards season that there’s nothing to be scared by when it comes to foreign-language movies with subtitles.
But if you can’t quite get into subtitles, then Snowpiercer is the perfect opportunity to get into the director’s body of work. Starring Hollywood A-listers across the board, it’s an imaginative, vibrant and energetic dystopian sci-fi about life on board the train carrying the last of humanity.
Much like Parasite, the film thrills with its uniquely dark sense of humour, often proving unrelentingly gloomy yet sparking laughs and hilarious thrills throughout. It’s a captivating, memorable, funny and enormously exciting watch, and a great example of Bong Joon-ho’s talents.
Read a full review here.
Burning (2018)
Along with its non-stop thrills and incisive dark humour, Parasite has drawn plaudits for its passionate and thought-provoking ideas on the class divide in modern society.
And for a similar (but arguably even bolder) look at the same topic, director Lee Chang-dong’s Burning is the perfect watch. A challenging watch that features a layered look at social issues alongside complex psychological drama, it’s not the sleek thriller that Parasite is, but still a powerful watch.
Another example of the bold originality coming out of South Korean cinema in the modern day, it’s a difficult watch that definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but builds on themes established by Parasite with intelligence and audacity throughout.
Read a full review here.
