"Parasite," The Top-Rated South Korean Film About Growing Wealth Inequality

At first glance, the recipe for the success of “Parasite” seems simple. Combine a quirky, dark comedy plot about a poor family conning a rich one, then add one of South Korea’s most prolific film directors, Bong Joon-ho, and an award-winning cast.

On the verge of making history as the first-ever foreign language film to win an Academy Award for best picture, the film has already won a long list of accolades — including the Cannes Film Festival’s highest prize — and grossed more than $163 million in box office revenue worldwide.

But experts say that there’s something special about "Parasite." The film forces us to confront the painfully relatable, highly contemporary theme of economic inequality around the world. And in South Korea, that theme hits especially hard as people struggle against a slacking economy, unstable geopolitics and ever-surging living costs.

Oscar-nominated 'Parasite' speaks to a growing divide in South Korea