这部韩国电影有何魔力，为何人人都讨论？

很多影评人称，《寄生虫》（Parasite）是一部“不折不扣的杰作”、“本年度最重要的电影”和“一部必看的惊悚片”。不过除了在电影节上，以及在纽约和洛杉矶的少数几家影院里，美国很少有人看过韩国导演奉俊昊的这部广受好评的电影。不过看过这部影片的那1%的人却都对它赞不绝口。

所以你可能会想，不就是一部韩国电影嘛，有什么可大惊小怪的。不过但凡你对这部电影有一些了解，你就可能已经听说了，观众们在看完这部片子后，纷纷有了“拒绝剧透”的觉悟。

下面，我们就将解析一下，关于这部电影，你所应该知道的一切（没有剧透）。这部韩国电影刚一上映，就打破了票房纪录，很多人甚至认为它有资格角逐今年的奥斯卡奖。

《寄生虫》有多牛？

总有一些热门新片会被影评人和媒体冠为“必看”电影之名。但《寄生虫》的热度已经远远超过了一般的炒作。这也给它平添了一些神秘色彩。

《寄生虫》的一炮而红是在今年5月的戛纳电影节上，该片成功捧得金棕榈奖，它也成为了第一部获得金棕榈奖的韩国电影。接着，它又在其他几个国际电影节上大放异彩，在特鲁莱德电影节和多伦多国际电影节上的放映场次场场售罄，在奇幻电影节和纽约电影节的点映也是场场爆满。

就连其他电影导演也在推荐别人去看这部电影。比如另一部电影节获奖热门影片《原钻》（Uncut Gems）（主演亚当·桑德勒）的导演约什·萨弗迪和本尼·萨弗尼便在推特上力赞这部电影：“不要问问题，不要看影评，直接去看电影。奉俊昊导演和影片的主创人员将把你的大脑当成‘寄主’，同时告诉你，我们生活中的隐形的规则是多么荒唐。”

《遗传厄运》（Hereditary）和《仲夏夜惊魂》（Midsommar）的导演阿里·阿斯特也在推特上写道：“这部电影令人震惊。奉俊昊的叙事能力是无以伦比的。这部电影极为高效，比任何东西都有趣，令人疯狂，而且让人感到深深的悲凉。”

奉俊昊何许人也？

此人在美国并非家喻户晓，但却是国际影坛上公认的大师，代表作包括《杀人回忆》（Memories of Murder，2003年）、怪兽电影《汉江怪物》（The Host，2006年），以及他的第一部英语电影、反乌托邦主题的惊悚片《雪国列车》（Snowpiercer，2013年）。

《雪国列车》耗资4000万美元，请来了克里斯·埃文斯、宋康昊、蒂尔达·斯文顿、奥克塔维亚·斯宾塞等国际知名影星加盟，它也是迄今为止韩国制作成本最高的一部电影。在《雪国列车》后，奉俊昊又于2017年推出了一部适合全家观看的影片《玉子》（Okja），主演为杰克·吉伦哈尔和蒂尔达·斯文顿。这部电影在戛纳首映，之后上线了Netflix。不过这在当时也引起了一些争议，因为戛纳电影节表示不再允许Netflix出品的电影参选奖项。

无论是在电影发烧友中，还是和社交媒体上，奉俊昊都有一批死忠粉。粉丝们在推特上搜索#BongHive标签，就能找到组织。

《寄生虫》讲了什么？

《寄生虫》通过发生在一穷一富两个韩国家庭（金家和朴家）之间的故事，对贫富差距的社会现象进行了辛辣讽刺。从贫穷的金家少年混进了富裕的朴家时起，权力的平衡开始以意想不到的方式发生了转变。（再次强调，没有剧透！）

艾萨克·费尔德伯格最近在《财富》杂志上撰文称，《寄生虫》是“为我们这个时代量身打造的一个家庭入侵故事。故事在眼花缭乱的闹剧、希区柯克式的悬疑和辛辣的闹剧之间来回切换”。

为啥不让剧透？

在《寄生虫》今年5月于戛纳电影节首映之前，奉俊昊给媒体写了一封公开信，恳求媒体不要泄漏除了预告片之外的任何影片中的信息。

“在你为这部电影写影评时，请尽量不要透露兄妹二人当上家教之后的故事走向。至于兄妹二人当家教这一点，已经在电影的预告片中有所体现。”

以往的一些剧情片，比如《哭泣游戏》（The Crying Game）、《逃出绝命城》（Get Out）、《灵异第六感》（The Sixth Sense）等，到影片末尾都有一个大反转，所以看这些片子之前一定不能被剧透。《寄生虫》诡异而神秘的结局，也激起了人们观影的欲望。

《寄生虫》创造了哪些票房纪录？

自本片在10月1日登陆纽约和洛杉矶的部分影院以来，仅仅从三家影院便收获了376264美元的票房，平均每家影院贡献了125421美元，为今年以来的最高水平。它也是自《爱乐之城》（La La Land）以来，单家影院票房收入最高的一部国际电影。

该片在纽约国际金融中心搞了几场周末点映，有几场奉俊昊和主演宋康昊、朴素丹还亲自亮相点映，与观众进行了问答互动。这些场次的票在开售当天就卖光了。

纽约和洛杉矶以外的美国观众到哪去看《寄生虫》？

《寄生虫》将逐渐在全美各地上映，本周将登陆旧金山、波士顿、芝加哥、华盛顿特区等7大城市，下周还将登陆15个大城市。

《寄生虫》的发行商Neon公司的院线发行主管埃莉萨·费德洛夫在接受《Deadline》采访时表示，她预计到10月底，《寄生虫》将在美国前25大城市的85到100家影院上映。

费德洛夫表示：“到那时，我们会采取一定的‘观望’策略。我希望它可以在尽可能多的影院上映。我们希望到11月中旬，会有一个很强劲的上映银幕数。”

Neon本季发行的都是拿奖的热门影片，包括几大电影节的热门《燃烧女人的肖像》（Portrait of a Lady on Fire），备受好评的纪录片《阿波罗11号》（Apollo 11）、《蜂蜜之地》（Honeyland）和《最大的小小农场》（The Biggest Little Farm）等。

2018年，这家公司还将《我，花样女王》（I, Tonya）带到了奥斯卡。这部片子获得了好几项提名，最终，艾莉森·詹尼凭借此片赢得了奥斯卡最佳女配角奖。但这家独立发行公司还从未获得过最佳影片奖的提名。

《寄生虫》虽然是影评人的宠儿，但出了纽约和洛杉矶等沿海的“文化之都”，它在美国其他地方还能拿到这么高的票房吗？

Awardswatch是一家专门预测娱乐圈奖项得主的网站，该网站的创始人埃里克·安德森认为：“真正的挑战是，随着这部电影开始在越来越多的地方排片，这些地方能否复制洛杉矶和纽约的强势票房表现？”

《寄生虫》有机会竞争奥斯卡最佳影片奖吗？

简单说来，是的。而且还远远不止于此。

目前，大家广泛认为《寄生虫》最有望获得下届奥斯卡的最佳国际故事片奖（也就是以前的“最佳外语片奖”），同时还有可能角逐最佳摄影奖、最佳导演奖和其他几个奥斯卡奖项。

由于该片获得了影评界的一致好评（截至发稿时，烂番茄网站上的好评率达到了99%），专家们都认为该片有望获得最佳影片奖提名，这也是韩国电影史上开天辟地的头一遭。去年，韩国导演李沧东的心理悬疑片《燃烧》（Burning）也入围了奥斯卡最佳外语片的9部电影大名单，但最终未能获得提名。

在预测网站Gold Derby上，一半以上的专家都将《寄生虫》放在了自己对奥斯卡最佳影片奖的预测名单里。埃里克·安德森也在他最近一期的《周五领跑者》报告中，将该片的获奖机率拔高到了第二位。

从先例看，《寄生虫》获得最佳影片奖提名的机率并不算大。迄今为止，只有11部外语片曾获得最佳影片奖提名，包括去年的《罗马》（Roma）、大家一致喜爱的《美丽人生》（Life is Beautiful），以及让·雷诺的《大幻影》（La Grande Illusion）、英格玛·伯格曼的《呼喊与细语》（Cries and Whispers）等经典影片。

如果《寄生虫》打破了先例，真把最佳影片奖收入囊中，它将成为第一部获得奥斯卡最佳影片奖的非英语电影。这部电影适时审视了贫富差距和阶级仇恨的问题，并以一种取悦大众的方式表现了出来，或将让它成为奥斯卡颁奖典礼上值得关注的一匹黑马。(财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

Critics have called Parasite a “flat-out masterpiece,” “the most important film of the year,” and “a must-see thriller.” Outside of film festivals and a few theaters in New York and Los Angeles, relatively few people have had the chance to see Bong Joon-ho’s acclaimed film. But the 1% who has can’t stop raving about it.

So you might be wondering what all the fuss is about, though if you know anything about the film, you’ve probably heard that audiences aren’t supposed to reveal too much after seeing it.

Below we break down everything you need to know (without spoilers!) about the cinematic South Korean sensation that’s breaking box office records in its initial limited release and generating early Oscar buzz.

What’s the big deal about “Parasite”?

There’s always a hot new film that film critics and journalists dub a “must-see.” But the excitement surrounding Parasite far surpasses the usual hype. The film’s mystique has taken on mythical proportions.

The buzz surrounding Parasite began back in May when it won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean film to do so. It then blazed through the international festival circuit, selling out screenings at Telluride and the Toronto International Film Festival, and flooring audiences at Fantastic Fest and the New York Film Festival.

It’s such a sensation that even other film directors are urging people to go see the movie. Josh and Benny Safdie, directors of another possible awards contender Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler, tweeted about Parasite, writing “Don’t ask questions, don’t read about it, just see it. Director Bong and his incredible cast will use your mind as a host as they show you how absurd our invisible rules are.”

Director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) tweeted, “This film is astounding. Bong Joon-Ho is peerless right now in genre storytelling. Dizzyingly efficient, funnier than anything, totally bananas, and deeply deeply sad.”

Who’s Bong Joon-ho?

Although he may not be a household name in the U.S. (though that could easily change), Bong is an international auteur and genre master whose films include the crime drama Memories of Murder (2003), the monster movie The Host (2006), and his first English-language film, the dystopian thriller Snowpiercer (2013).

With a $40 million budget, and an international cast including Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, and Octavia Spencer, Snowpiercer remains the most expensive Korean production ever. Bong followed that up with Okja (2017) a family-friendly adventure film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton that premiered (to controversy) in Cannes before streaming on Netflix (Cannes no longer permits Netflix’s films in competition).

Bong enjoys somewhat of a cult following among cineastes and on Twitter, where the hashtag #BongHive unites his fans.

What’s “Parasite” about?

Parasite is a biting social satire about economic inequality seen through the symbiotic relationship between a destitute South Korean family, the Kims, and a wealthy family, the Parks. When the Kim children infiltrate the Park Family household, the power balance shifts is unexpected ways. (Again, no spoilers!)

Writing for Fortune recently, Isaac Feldberg calls Parasite “a home-invasion story tailor-made for our times” that “toggles between giddy farce, Hitchcockian suspense, and mordant slapstick.”

Why is there a spoiler alert?

Before Parasite premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Bong wrote an open letter to the press in which he pleaded with them to not reveal anything about the film that wasn’t in the film’s trailer.

“When you write a review for this film, please refrain as much as possible from revealing how the story unfolds after the brother and sister start working as private tutors, an event which is disclosed in the film’s trailers,” Bong wrote.

As with past films such as The Crying Game, Get Out, The Sixth Sense, and others, there’s a big twist that’s better experienced firsthand. The intrigue over the film’s cryptic—and secret—ending is fueling demand to see it.

What box office records has “Parasite” set?

During its Oct. 11 opening weekend in New York and Los Angeles theaters, Parasite raked in an estimated $376,264 from just three theaters, posting a per-location average of $125,421—the highest of the year and the largest ever for an international film in the U.S. the best per-screen haul since La La Land.

Every weekend screening of the film at the IFC Center in New York, some featuring Q&As with Bong and cast members Song Kang-Ho and Park So-dam, sold out on opening day.

When can audiences outside N.Y. and L.A. see “Parasite”?

Parasite will slowly make its way around the country, hitting seven markets—including San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Washington D.C. this week and 15 markets the following week.

Elissa Federoff, head of theatrical distribution for Neon, the film distributor behind Parasite, told Deadline that she expects the film to be screening in 85 to 100 screens in the top 25 markets by the end of October.

“From there, it’s going to be a bit more of a ‘watch and see’ strategy,” says Federoff. “I would like it to be on as many screens as we can possibly be. We hope to be on a robust number of screens by mid-November.”

Neon will have a busy awards season, given it is also distributing other awards contenders, including festival favorite Portrait of a Lady on Fire and acclaimed documentaries Apollo 11, Honeyland, and The Biggest Little Farm.

The company brought I, Tonya to the Oscars in 2018, where it was nominated for several awards and earned Allison Janney an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. But the indie distributor has yet to land a Best Picture nomination.

Can this critics’ darling continue its box office boom as it expands beyond coastal culture capitals?

“The true test will be seeing if those rabid Los Angeles and New York box office numbers translate to equally strong ones once it expands,” says Erik Anderson, founder of Awardswatch, a website devoted to entertainment awards predictions.

Does “Parasite” have a shot at a Best Picture Academy Award?

In a word, yes. But there’s a lot more to it.

Parasite is widely considered the frontrunner to win best international feature film (formerly “best foreign-language film) and will likely be in the running for Best Cinematography, Best Director, and other Oscar categories.

Given the critical acclaim surrounding it (at press time, it’s 99% on Rotten Tomatoes), awards experts are saying it has a shot at a Best Picture nomination, which would be a first for South Korea. Last year, Lee Chang-dong’s psychological drama Burning became the first Korean film to make it to the final nine-film shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, but it fell short of a nomination.

More than half of the awards experts on Gold Derby include it on their list of Best Picture predictions. Anderson bumped it up to the number two spot in his latest Frontrunner Friday report.

Based on historical precedent, the odds of Parasite being nominated for a Best Picture aren’t in its favor. Only 11 foreign language films have ever been nominated for Best Picture, including last year’s Roma, the crowd-pleasing Life is Beautiful, and classics such as Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion and Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers.

If Parasite defies conventional wisdom and manages to take home Best Picture, it would be the first non-English language film to nab an Oscar in that category. The film’s timely examination of income inequality and class rage, delivered in a crowd-pleasing fashion, could make it the underdog to watch come awards time.