Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is the film everybody is talking about right now, and with good reason. Besides topping Dazed’s roundup of 2019’s best films, the self-described tragicomedy has made the director the first Korean to take home the Palme d’Or at Cannes, plus winning a Golden Globe and six Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture (another first for South Korea).
And guess what – there’s even more in store for Parasite fans (and no, we’re not talking about the forthcoming TV adaptation).
A black and white version of the film will be coming to select US cinemas, after making its debut at 2020’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, which began yesterday (January 22) and runs until February 2.
According to Bong Joon-ho, the monochromatic rerelease makes for some significant differences to the viewing experience. “I watched the black and white version twice now,” he tells Deadline, “and at times the film felt more like a fable and gave me the strange sense that I was watching a story from old times.”
“The second time I watched it, the film felt more realistic and sharp as if I was being cut by a blade.”
“It also further highlighted the actors’ performances” – which won them the award for outstanding performance by a cast at the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards – “and seemed to revolve more around the characters.”
Parasite, in black and white, will debut at the Walter Reade Theater in New York January 30, and the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles January 31. It will then have a run at New York’s Francesca Beale Theater from January 31 to February 6.
The original film will open in the UK February 7.