Movies
[Cannes Review] ‘Parasite’: How Bong Joon-Ho Gets Under Our Skin
According to the English Oxford dictionary, there are two definitions for the term “parasite.” The more well-known of the two is as follows: an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense. The second definition is more derogatory: a person who habitually relies on or exploits others and gives nothing in return.
In Bong Joon-Ho’s Palme d’Or-winning film, Parasite, both definitions apply. But as the film reaches its climax, audiences are left wondering—who is the parasite, and who is the host? In a modern-day capitalist society, is it truly possible for a system to exist in which the benefits of one can be derived without the taking from another? These are just two of several questions posed by this thought-provoking film.
Joon-Ho is no stranger to offering social commentary and critique. His previous work, such as Okja (2017) and Snowpiercer (2013), tackles subjects such as corporate ethics and climate change, using massive animals and post-apocalyptic trains as vehicles for his message. This time around, however, the lines between the villains and the heroes are blurred. The “good guys” are capable of committing unfathomable, and often comical, acts of dishonesty and deception, whereas the “bad guys” are, at times, so vapid that they simply seem too stupid to have any capacity for evil. Who, exactly, are the characters that the audience should root for?
It is this evolving, ever-changing dynamic between the last name-less, lower class family and the elite, excessively wealthy Park family (who employs the former) that makes this film so special. We as viewers naturally feel drawn to the family of unemployed hustlers and sympathize with their efforts to make a quick buck out of their basement flat in the slums of South Korea. When we’re introduced to the grandiose, pristine estate of the upper-class Park family, we instinctively feel some form of animosity towards them, since they are able to live in such splendor while the other family is forced to make do with so little.
From the get-go, Joon-Ho creates a world in which we are hopeful for the underdogs while we view those at the top with distaste, despite the motivations of either party. Sure, those at the bottom of the food chain may achieve their goals through unethical means, but we’re able to look past that, simply because they seem more deserving of a shining outcome. It is only when these roles begin to converge and bleed into one another that we are forced to consider that perhaps both sides are equally involved in a parasitic relationship. There is a possibility that both entities will feed upon the other until they are both sucked dry.
Parasite is a unique piece of work that never remains confined to just one genre—what starts out as a comedy evolves into an unpredictable drama/thriller that turns the conventional notion of a home-invasion film on its head. Although it takes place in South Korea and touches on the country’s conflict with their neighbors to the North, its examination of classism and the consequences of unequal wealth distribution can easily be applied to current-day American society. This film will stick with you long after the end credits roll and remain under your skin, much like its title implies.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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