First, let’s get this out of the way: Americans need more exposure to foreign language films. “Words are hard” should not be an excuse or a barrier to enjoying a subtitled film. If that were the case, then we would never have been able to enjoy such a delight as Amélie or a sobering vision with Life is Beautiful.

With Parasite winning multiple prestigious awards and nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, some movie fans who may be hesitant to give a foreign language film a chance might be asking “Is Parasite really as good as they say?”

The answer to that, of course, is a resounding “Yes!”

Now, the difficult part of giving a worthy review of Parasite (now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD) is providing a synopsis and compelling commentary without revealing any spoilers. Honestly, the best thing you could possibly do is to just go into the movie blind. That’s right, I’m actually pleading with you to NOT read my review, but you do you.

Essentially, this movie is about class. I know it’s not politically correct to talk about class structures anymore but to rephrase the term as “socioeconomic status levels.” Sure, that sounds nice on paper, but it’s disingenuous to the millions of people around the globe living in abject poverty struggling to survive.

Director Bong Joon Ho (Okja, Snowpiercer) weaves a captivating allegory that follows the Kims, a poor family living in squalor, as they slowly and deceptively ingratiate themselves into an über wealthy family’s life as hired help. However, their cunning ruse is suddenly in danger of being revealed, and the lengths they must go to to maintain their newfound abundance reaches disturbing levels.

To say anymore, in my opinion, would reveal too much. But here’s what else I can tell you:

• The movie has beautiful cinematography. The harsh landscape where the working poor live juxtaposed with the precision architecture and cultivated grounds of the wealthy Park family further highlight the gaps, wealth and otherwise, between two worlds.
• Though it’s not a comedy, there are certainly some funny moments.
• Though it’s not necessarily a horror movie, there are certainly some horrific moments, but they all happen in the second half of the movie.
• It is worthy of its R rating.
• If you’re honest, you’ll probably be able to see parts of yourself in each family, and nobody comes out of this movie squeaky clean.

The Blu-ray release of Parasite only includes one special feature: a Q&A with the director. Though it’s interesting enough, if you’re not married to physical media (like me!), then a digital version might suffice. But hear me now: this is one to own. You’ll want to take a breather to recover after watching the movie for the first time, but you’ll soon find yourself wanting to watch it again to look for the subtleties and complexities sprinkled throughout.

It’s more than just a good foreign film. It’s a fantastic film. Full stop. Parasite is worthy of all its acclaim and then some.

(Disclaimer: I received a copy of the Blu-ray for review purposes. All opinions are my own.)