Few filmmakers are able to so artfully slide from one genre to another as Bong Joon-ho, who once again demonstrates his mastery of tonal shifts in Parasite. Beginning as a mix of social realism before moving into something that comes close to farce – and then to something entirely different – the initial set-up concerns a family of hustlers who find a way out of poverty by taking various service jobs for a wealthy family. The question of who is being as a parasite to whom is part of the film’s rich social satire and sophisticated class critique, which underpins so much of the action.
While Toy Story 3 was the perfect conclusion to the deservedly much-loved and acclaimed Pixar trilogy about the secret lives of toys, Toy Story 4 is a brilliant coda. The winning mix of characters from the original films and a great ensemble of new characters, maintain the blend of heartfelt sentiment and humour. Most interestingly – and satisfyingly – is how this new film expands on the theme of companionship, which is so central to the previous instalments, to suggest that even for toys there are different ways to form bonds and family units, and needs change over time.
High Life explores the tenuous boundaries between what are and are not acceptable social norms when it comes to sexual desire and procreation, juxtaposing the body in all its abject glory against the sterility of outer space. Claire Denis creates a bewildering and intoxicating science-fiction fever dream that is as transgressive, ambiguous, beautiful and confronting as any of her previous works. And while the spirit of Andrei Tarkovsky is very much felt as a key influence, this is still a film that is distinctively from Denis’s non-linear and sensory cinematic world.
CINEMA AUTOPSY 