Toronto International Film Festival selection praised as best movie of the year
The Jasper Film Club is bringing a politically-charged, cinematic wonder to the Chaba Theatre on December 12.
That film is Parasite.
The winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Parasite is being praised as an urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes. It is being called one of the best films of not just the year, but the decade.
Described as a comedy without clowns and a tragedy without villains, this “tonal marvel” mixes pathos and satire with thrills and drama in a perfectly controlled blend of genres. Director Bong Joon Ho brings his work home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.
A vertical story of class struggle, Parasite observes and dissects with surgical precision the life of two families of different social backgrounds.The Parks are the picture of aspirational wealth, while The Kims are rich in street smarts, but not much else. The two houses are brought together and as the destinies of the two families cross, their explosive meeting exposes the merciless evils of class inequalities, culminating in a powerful and utterly original outcome.
“It’s a conversation starter in ways we only get a few times a year, and a further reminder that Bong Joon-ho is one of the best filmmakers working today,” cooed critic Roger Ebert after seeing the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Parasite will be the Jasper Film Club’s third screening of the fall/winter season, and another opportunity to view curated selections from TIFF, one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, and a permanent destination for film culture. The Jasper Film Club is proud to connect to TIFF through its seven annual screenings. Founded more than two decades ago, The Jasper Film Club is part of TIFF’s Film Circuit, the largest film community in Canada. This isn’t your local seniors club showing Turner Classic Movies on VHS (not that there’s anything wrong with that). TIFF believes that every Canadian should be able to see world-class cinema in their hometown, and The Jasper Film Club strives to select titles that Jasperites wouldn’t otherwise get to view. Cinephiles should know what an asset they have in the Jasper Film Club and what a great opportunity it provides to “transform the way people see the world through film,” as TIFF’s mission states.
On December 12 at 6:45 p.m., join The Jasper Film Club and treat yourself to not only a powerful movie, but to the power of connecting to a community of film lovers.
Parasite (Rated 14A)
Thursday • December 12 • 6:45 p.m. (please note earlier start time)
Chaba Theatre, 604 Connaught Dr.
$8 members, $10 non-members
