Last night, I confirmed that this film can serve as an inspiring creative writing prompt for young writers. Different scenes drew 20 of my undergraduate poets into immersive environments, observing marvels of the natural world that seemed to suggest larger ideas about life, love, loss, borders, mystery, and more.
It's becoming a permanent part of the syllabus.
Thank you again, Master Kiarostami.
The most significant takeaway from this for me is the unsettling sense that the cinematic prophecies about violent uprisings of the Poor against the Wealthy and Prejudiced are accumulating at an alarming rate — to the point that I feel I will live to see apocalyptic clashes and revolutions at a scale I haven't seen before.
But that's not what I'm here to write about. If I'm to write much about Parasite, I'm going to have to spoil things, because I…
Name one movie that is
a) directed by a woman,
b) filmed by a woman,
b) about women, and
c) deeply concerned with matters of faith.
I can think of many films directed by men, and focusing on men, that rigorously wrestle with questions about God and the problem of evil. But The Innocents is a remarkably rare event.
Wow. I am not exaggerating. That was one of the most exhilarating moviegoing experiences of my lifetime.
CAUTION: Read as little as possible about the specifics of this film. In particular — if you want one of the year's best surprises — avoid any list of voice actors for this film. There's a voice that shows up just over halfway through that made me laugh out loud for joy and the sheer audacity of the decision. Save as many big surprises…
