When Parasite first came out, many did not expect it to make the waves that it did. But it was destined to become one of the most well-known Korean movies in the past few decades, winning some of the most coveted Academy Awards — and there are many reasons as to why it deserved all of these accolades. Implementing several genres into the plot of the movie, Parasite has been a masterclass in what excellent filmmaking can be, launching director Bong Joon-ho's international career to all-new heights.
There are plenty of themes packed into Parasite that have been present throughout many other movies, with each of them presenting a unique take on the subject. From thriller elements to critiquing the socioeconomic statuses of the characters and the worlds they inhabit, these 10 movies are going to remind you of watching Parasite for the first time.
Parasite
- Release Date
- May 30, 2019
- Director
- Bong Joon-ho
- Cast
- Seo Joon Park, Kang-ho Song, Seon-gyun Lee, Yeo-Jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, Hye-jin Jang
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Comedy
10 Saltburn (2023)
Saltburn
- Release Date
- November 24, 2023
- Director
- Emerald Fennell
- Cast
- Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Barry Keoghan, Archie Madekwe, Richard E. Grant, Jacob Elordi
- Main Genre
- Comedy
While Parasite went deep into the class dynamics at play in South Korea, Emerald Fennell’s 2023 release Saltburn is all vibes with a dose of unhealthy obsession. When a young man from Liverpool befriends a wealthier student at Oxford, he’s invited back to his new friend’s sprawling estate for the summer. However, this will be something unforgettable for everyone involved.
Why It’s Great
Saltburn received a lot of buzz when it came to the more disturbing scenes, but it does the opposite of what Parasite does in quite an interesting way. The wealthy in Saltburn are clueless at what’s to come, making their downfall the product of a conniving middle or lower class boy, or parasite, invited into the home. Watch now in theaters
9 The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
- Release Date
- October 20, 2017
- Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast
- Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Sunny Suljic, Denise Dal Vera
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Drama
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Yorgos Lanthimos came out with The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017, and gained critical acclaim upon its release. A surgeon often goes to a diner to meet a boy whose father died years prior, but when the members of his family become mysteriously ill, they realize the boy he meets is the source of it all. As things worsen, he becomes desperate to save his family.
Why It’s Great
One of the standouts of the movie is Barry Keoghan, who would later star in Saltburn. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is not only unsettling and disturbing at times, but it shows the impact of one boy on a family that was seemingly happy and undisturbed until his arrival. Stream on Netflix
8 Burning (2018)
Burning
- Release Date
- May 17, 2018
- Director
- Chang-dong Lee
- Cast
- Ah In Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jeon, Soo-Kyung Kim, Seung-ho Choi, Seong-kun Mun
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Drama
Lee Chang-dong’s Burning is one of his most-loved movies to date, and that’s saying something considering how long his movies have been loved on the international film scene. Yoo Ah-in portrays Jong-su, a struggling young man from Paju, who meets a girl he used to live by. When she brings him into the world and life she has paved for herself, it potentially becomes her own downfall when she meets a man named Ben.
Why It’s Great
Burning is a masterclass in filmmaking and acting, and is a must-see when it comes to Korean cinema as a whole. While Parasite was the first Korean movie nominated for an Oscar, Burning set the record a year prior by being the first movie to make the shortlist. Stream on Netflix
7 I Saw the Devil (2010)
I Saw the Devil
- Release Date
- August 12, 2010
- Director
- Jee-woon Kim
- Cast
- Byung-hun Lee, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon, San-ha Oh, Yoon-seo Kim, Min-sik Choi
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Crime
Released in 2010, Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw the Devil stars Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik in some of their most iconic roles to date. Lee portrays an intelligence officer whose fiancée is murdered on the side of the road. Swearing vengeance against whoever did it, he will cross ethical lines in order to get what he wants to take down this serial killer.
Why It’s Great
I Saw the Devil is a brutal game of cat and mouse, and very much a story about revenge in the end. A horror movie at its core, it goes much deeper than Parasite does when it comes to violence, but with its own unique twists. Stream on Peacock
6 Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
- Release Date
- March 29, 2002
- Director
- Chan-wook Park
- Cast
- Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin, Doona Bae, Ji-Eun Lim, Bo-bae Han, Se-dong Kim
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Crime
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was Park Chan-wook’s first movie in the Vengeance Trilogy, which would become some of his most well-known movies early in his career. When a deaf and mute man decides, with his anarchist girlfriend, to kidnap the daughter of an executive of a factory he was laid off from, it leads to catastrophic events by accident, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Why It’s Great
The world was shocked by the level of violence shown in this film, but there are reasons why it goes as far as it does. One of the core elements of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the differences in class, which is a themed explored in Parasite: everything happens because the main character cannot afford his sister’s expensive surgery, creating a ripple effect of tragedy throughout the movie. Stream on Tubi
5 Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Sorry to Bother You
- Release Date
- July 6, 2018
- Director
- Boots Riley
- Cast
- Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, LaKeith Stanfield, Patton Oswalt, Steven Yeun, Terry Crews
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Comedy
Released in 2018, Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You has become iconic throughout the years. LaKeith Stanfield stars as Cassius Green, a guy who gets a telemarketer job and strikes gold after being instructed to use his “white voice.” The higher he moves up the food chain, the more he realizes there are injustices happening behind the scenes.
Why It’s Great
The main character of Sorry to Bother You is caught between money and activism, which is an honest conversation many have to face in their own lives. While the movie has a mix of ideas thrown into it, these all synthesize quite well, making it an ideal watch when one wants a satire on reality and its inequities, as similarly explored in Parasite. Stream on Prime Video
4 Decision to Leave (2022)
Decision to Leave
- Release Date
- October 14, 2022
- Director
- Park Chan-wook
- Cast
- Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Go Kyung-Pyo
- Main Genre
- Crime
Park Chan-wook returned in 2022 with Decision to Leave, which is a surprisingly mature film by an established director. A police investigator begins digging into the background and life of a Chinese immigrant who is suspected of killing her husband, but the more he watches her, the more he falls in love himself. This can only end in disaster.
Why It’s Great
Full of well-crafted, stunning moments to see in a movie theater, Decision to Leave is a movie where one has to pay attention to the details to truly appreciate. With some memorable lines and scenes, this is a must-see movie for those interested in thrilling Korean movies like Parasite. Stream on MUBI
3 The Housemaid (1960)
Released in 1960, Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid is a classic Korean movie and served as one of the many inspirations for Bong Joon-ho when it came to Parasite. A newly comfortable family realizes they have the finances to hire a maid. As the wife is pregnant, they decide to do so, picking a young woman who works at a factory. When she is hired, it will destroy the family from the inside out.
Why It’s Great
The Housemaid is a classic in Korean cinema, and is one of many incredible films from a period that is often neglected in broader conversations about movies. An inspiration to Bong, one watches this movie and can’t help but to marvel at how everything comes together so brilliantly, from the shots to the plot twists. Stream on The Criterion Channel
2 Perfect Blue (1998)
Perfect Blue
- Release Date
- February 28, 1998
- Director
- Satoshi Kon
- Cast
- Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura
- Runtime
- 1hr 21min
- Main Genre
- Animation
Satoshi Kon might have passed away tragically young, but he left behind wonderful movies like Perfect Blue. Its protagonist is a Japanese pop idol, who leaves her group in order to pursue an acting career. But when she learns of an online site pretending to be hers and her diary entries, she begins feeling unsettled. Once she realizes she’s being stalked, paranoia sets in wherever she goes.
Why It’s Great
Perfect Blue is unsettling because of how it predicted what would happen with the Internet and social media before they were even popular. Its protagonist feels heavily stalked and surveilled throughout her daily life, leading to intense feelings and major anxiety even when she’s alone in her room. This is an emotionally harrowing movie, akin to Parasite, especially when one realizes it came out in 1997, not the 2020s. Stream on AMC+
1 The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Release Date
- December 25, 1999
- Director
- Anthony Minghella
- Cast
- Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Runtime
- 2hr 19min
- Main Genre
- Thriller
In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Matt Damon stars as Tom Ripley. Living in New York during the late-50s, he’s one day approached by a wealthy man who thinks Tom attended school with his son Dickie. He asks him to convince his son to return home, and despite not knowing him, Tom says yes and pretends to be Dickie while on the ship. When he arrives in Italy, he meets Dickie and tries to be friends with him after claiming they were classmates.
Why It’s Great
Many have compared Saltburn to The Talented Mr. Ripley, and those comparisons are valid in many ways. Both show how one person can be a parasite in another’s life by pretending to be someone they’re not, and both can be very uncomfortable to watch when it comes to certain plot points and scenes. Rent on Prime Video
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