Parasite (B&W Version)

After Parasite was the first Korean film to win a Golden Palm at the Cannes film festival in 2019, this seventh feature film from Bong Joon Ho went on to become a big hit with audiences and critics alike, not only in his home country but all over the world. This solidly constructed story about relations between rich and poor in contemporary Korean society certainly hit home.

Bong shares a love of classic black-and-white films with his cameraman, Hong Kyungpyo. Having previously made a special black-and-white version of Mother (2009), he felt the urge again with Parasite. “I’m sure everyone will have a different opinion about this version. Personally, I think all the characters look even more poignant, and that the distinctions between the three different spaces where the families live, with all the shades of grey, are even more tragic. But above all I can’t wait to hear the reactions from the audience in Rotterdam.”

World premiere Parasite (B&W Version). Winner IFFR 2020 BankGiro Loterij Audience Award. Also see Masterclass: Bong Joon Ho.