Parasite – The Film that infected me

The film is a class apart! (No Pun Intended) 😀

There are certain films that take you beyond the script. It stops you from continuing your work, makes you sleepless, question things, and forces you to accept the truth. It matches every unjust situation that you see across the world. The parasite is one such film.  A film that resonates with the world where hatred tags along with opportunity.

I’m not going to comment here about the story. I’m no reviewer. I like films and I don’t rate them. But I love to describe them, and I’ve failed in that job with this movie. Because I certainly haven’t come across the right word to describe it. ‘Experiment of truth’, maybe? But it did affect me so much that I’m here to talk about how the film matches the world at present.

Like the Kim family who couldn’t make ends meet and lookup for an opportunity, there are people who have lost their livelihood, travel across borders to fend for themselves and their family doing odd jobs. The sophisticated house reminded me of countries where these refugees headed to, in order to start a new life – a life far away from the mess of the war, which kills people like how the fumigation kills the pests and affects your livelihood.

People take up jobs, like the Kim family, and when they first come into the country, they are treated well. Because they couldn’t afford to buy houses in the new country, they don’t have proper hygiene. They sleep on makeshift places, on the roads, take bath only when they find water, and cannot afford deodorants. And as the exodus begins and more people walk into the country, people start commenting about their behavior, just like the Park family. They comment on their appearances, protest against them, and soon, a fight ensues. How would it feel if it was the other way around?

And if you’re thinking that I’ve been talking about India, well no comments. I really CAAn’t talk about the issue. So, I’ll pass 😛

Brazil, a country that has one of the easiest migration policies in the world with its open borders, is unable to tolerate the exodus of people from Venezuela. As people come in and occupy their plazas, defecate in the open, and sleep wherever they could, Brazilians are getting angry at them asking them to go back. They complain of the foul smell that emanates in the neighborhood because of their presence.

Corona Virus is creating hatred among people. Racism is growing enormously because the Virus is spreading like a wildfire. Chinese people are being hated in western countries, Chinatowns are seeing lesser walk-ins, and people don’t want to get closer to a person from China, although they’d never been to the country for so long.

Even today, many families who have drivers or maids with them, call them ‘drivers’ or ‘maids’ as if they don’t have a name.

So, is embracing somebody a short-term affair? I guess it is. It is true that there’s love. But the love should last long for the Parasite to not transform and infect the world. The only way to save the world is to hide the hatred deep within, just like the bunker where Geun-Sae stays!

 

Pundit Recommends – Planet Earth II

It feels like years after I wrote my latest blog post. I’ve been saving drafts for a while now and intend to publish them soon. Life hasn’t been treating me well, lately. I’ve been finding questions and seeking answers. LITERALLY!

It’s after a very long time that I’m finding some time for myself. All this while, I missed out on some good movies and television series. I think it was a couple of months back when I finished watching ‘The Wire‘ and I was too happy to have watched the ‘Best television series in the world’. (Personal opinion, guys)

Of course, all that was spoiled with a few recent episodes of ‘The Walking Dead‘ and it took me long enough to recover from something as idiotic as that just like the ‘100 months pregnant Maggie in the series’. But just recently, I wanted to get into the game yet again and wanted to watch some good series. I decided to take the traditional route and began asking my friends. That was my first mistake, as they suggested too many things to watch and I wasn’t able to weigh.

I went to Amazon Prime to seek my answer. But thanks to my bad Internet speed a week back, I called it quits and went to the Alexandria of Movies; IMDb. I’m not a fan of documentaries. I don’t really like watching them because it’s too much information to process in a while. (Of course, I’m a quizmaster :P) And the first on the list of IMDb top television was ‘Planet Earth II‘.

I scrolled down further. But there was this tiny intuition that I’d miss something phenomenal if I keep scrolling. And I always trust my intuition. And so, I began watching Planet Earth II.

The very first shot of the series blew my mind. Captivating snow-capped mountains at the center of which is a dark-blue colored hot air balloon and inside it is the famous narrator of the world David Attenborough. The series began with a little introduction about  ‘Planet Earth (2006)’ (which is on my list now), and slowly went into what could be expected from this series.

The series showcased life in Islands, Mountains, Plains, Jungles, Deserts, and Cities! Every shot of the series, every line, every frame, every pixel was just perfect. It took me to a world of science that I’ve not explored much. The life and the habitat of the animals stunned me. I envied the videographers who shot in Zavodovski and the Brazilian Forests. The Penguin colony, the Dolphins in Brazil, Nubian Ibex, the Flamingo’s in South America, the Grizzly bear in the Rockies surprised me. In fact, the documentary had more action and adventure than most series I witnessed.

The Leopards in Mumbai took me by surprise and certainly has erased my ‘Nightwalks in Mumbai’ plans the next time I’m in the city. The relationship between the Langurs in Jodhpur and humans was a real surprise to me. In the name of religion, we Indians are also a great job in sustaining a habitat. But the relationship between the Spotted Hyenas in Harar, Ethiopia, and the humans was beyond surprise. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.

The series ended on a great note about conservation and about a city that I’ve always appreciated when it came to sustainability – Singapore. Their work towards conserving the wildlife is an important lesson that every tourist must learn and take back to their country apart from the mandatory selfies in front of the Merlion and the figurine.

It is one show that I feel should be shown even to the children in schools. It’s not just filled with knowledge, but also makes people think about the surrounding. One such article that I read about 6 years ago stopped me from littering in the public places. Maybe this documentary could inspire the viewers to start looking at Earth not just as a place for humans but for all the living things. It did for me.

Our dream of owning a newly built house in a vast land can also be a dream of 1000 other bird or animal species. It’s a short documentary that can make drastic changes in your life and inspire you to work towards the betterment of our … Planet Earth!

Watch the trailer below: