Since it won top prize at the Cannes Film Festival last spring, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite has had success after success after success. Along with making boatloads of money, even in the subtitle-resistant United States, and getting its own HBO series, it’s probably the least contentious of this year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees, having yet to engender a significant backlash against its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s such a hit that it’s coming back to select theaters, in a new and striking way: in black-and-white.
This comes from Deadline, who reported that Director Bong had prepared this version of his class warfare satire, even before its Cannes premiere, having long wanted to make a film in black-and-white. The acclaimed filmmaker — also of Snowpiercer, The Host, Okja, and more — told the publication that he finds that while watching Parasite in monochrome, he felt “at times the film felt more like a fable and gave me the strange sense that I was watching a story from old times.” He added:
“The second time I watched it, 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.”
But who can see this new version of Parasite? After it debuts at the Rotterdam Film Festival in late January, it will come to America, but only, as of now, at two locations: New York City’s Lincoln Center and the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. Perhaps it will then spread further, or maybe the majority of filmgoers will have to wait until it winds up on the Blu-ray or on a streamer. Until then, you can still go see the original Parasite, which is still raking in the dough. Perhaps you can also boil another bowl or two of its signature instant noodle dish.
(Via Deadline)
