Parasite Gets a New Release in Black-and-White
Director Bong Joon Ho says “the film felt more realistic and sharp—as if I was being cut by a blade”
Image via NEON and CJ Entertainment
Parasite has consistently been one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, winning the top prize for best ensemble cast at the SAG Awards, Cannes’ Palme d’Or and a Golden Globe in the foreign language category, and being nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Now, the incisive, biting satire is coming to theaters once again, and viewers will get the chance to see the same film in a new light.
PARASITE Black & White
“The film felt more realistic and sharp – as if I was being cut by a blade.” Bong Joon Ho
New York
Walter Reade Theater, January 30
Francesca Beale Theater, January 31 – February 6Los Angeles
Egyptian Theatre, January 31 https://t.co/HhRmyRrlJI— NEON (@neonrated) January 23, 2020
Bong said in a statement (per IndieWire, “I’m extremely happy to present Parasite in black-and-white and have it play on the big screen,” adding, “It will be fascinating to see how the viewing experience changes when an identical film is presented in black and white. I watched the black-and-white version twice now, 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.”
Bong continued, “It also further highlighted the actors’ performances and seemed to revolve more around the characters. I had many fleeting impressions of this new version, but I do not wish to define them before it is presented.”
With the black-and-white filter, Parasite will join Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse as two seminal monochromatic films released this year.
The re-release will premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam before coming to the Walter Reade Theater (presented by Film at Lincoln Center) in New York City on Jan. 30, NYC’s Francesca Beale Theater from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, and the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on Jan. 31.
Watch a (color) trailer for the film below.