How do you juggle a Best of the Decade List, a hectic awards season, having a life and a best of 2019 list? You do one of those things late. So yes, it’s 2020 now, but the year isn’t over until the Oscars, which happens thankfully a lot earlier this year.
These are the 10 movies I couldn’t stop thinking about in 2019 and want to see again as soon as possible.
1. Parasite
The first time I saw “Parasite,” I was struck by the meticulous construction of its devilish con game and the cynical bite of its commentary on class inequality. The story felt like Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters” if it was told by Bong Joon-ho, a Korean family drama with a far bleaker and negative outlook of the world. The mid-film twist was jaw-dropping, and the ending was hypnotic. It was clear then this was the best movie of the year. The second time I saw it, the dupe of the gullible family was just the set up, an amusing game as juicy as a peach. What stood out were the more human moments mixed in with Bong’s stylized set pieces, like the nightmare of watching the protagonists’ home flooding because they live literally below the poverty line. And instead of the violent, bloody conclusion, the more powerful, lingering moment was “Parasite’s” touching coda and family reunion. Bong’s film isn’t a masterpiece because it’s so “metaphorical.” It’s a sobering story about how having a plan for the future can make all the difference in the world.
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