Year of the Parasite

With the U.S. success of 기생충 (Parasite), distributor Neon released Bong Joon-ho’s Black and White version in Los Angeles and New York. This isn’t the first time a filmmaker has revisited a color film in black and white: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and The Mist (2007) both have black and white cuts that their directors consider the preferred versions. For Parasite, the switch to monochrome adds a layer of contrast to its already layered story.

We see the world in color, but films must be color graded to achieve the intended look. Shot by shot, the color correctionist ensures each scene looks right—originally through printer points and now via tools like DaVinci Resolve. When creating a black and white version, desaturating requires further corrections to control contrast and tonal values.

Kyung-pyo Hong’s cinematography and Ha-jun Lee’s production design brilliantly complement each other in Parasite, but in black and white, we notice subtle visual cues more vividly. Shadows reveal as much as highlights, and the differences between the two families become clearer in terms of lighting and tone.

A few years ago, Steven Soderbergh posted a desaturated version of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) on his website Extension 765 to study its staging. For me, that black and white version drew attention to Douglas Slocombe’s masterful cinematography and exposure, which is even more impressive if the stories are true that he never used a light meter.

Similarly, Parasite in monochrome makes it easier to admire the craft and lighting choices. It’s an intriguing look for a film I consider the best of 2019.

Year of the Parasite

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