So another week just flew by. I didn't have a chance to update at all. I've been working on this site now. There was a whole lot of stuff I had to look into with the update and fixed some issues but it seems that everything is working as it should now. I've also registered a domain, m4ra.net. Feels like this is a real website now, like this is now a real piece of the internet. A shitty piece, that's for sure, but a piece nonetheless.

Last week my boss dropped me two tickets to see that movie that won all those Oscars, Parasite. It was one of those classic things with my boss where he'll just ask a question like "hey, you want to see this movie?" and when I express interest he's like "ok, it starts in a couple of hours, get your shit ready". :D So he gave me two tickets, and given I have no responsiblities like kids or that kind of shit I went without a second thought.

I was planning on watching the movie anyway over the weekend in one of those boring box theaters they have out here but these tickets were for Teatteri Unioni, a small indie theater that specializes more in old and obscure movies. The theater had it's own cool vibe to it. The audience looked pretty hip and cool too, like art people or some shit. Anyway, it was fortunate that I got to see this movie in such a special place. If you haven't watched the movie, the rest of this post might not make a whole lot of sense, so be warned.

I liked the movie a lot, for the first 45 minutes I didn't know what to expect at all, the movie at first felt like a weird but pretty lame comedy but it took off really quickly after that. The movie clearly messes with genre and sets up the audience to expect something only to go in a completely other direction. Sometimes it feels like it'll be a drama, or a horror movie, or some kind of romance story. I deliberately avoided trailers and all that and I'm glad I did.

I remember seeing videos in my YouTube suggestions where this movie was compared to Joker, and I thought that was pretty weird, I had a feeling it was about class and wealth inequality, but having Parasite being compared to such a "grim" movie seemed weird to me. I really like how the movie dealt with the idea of class, it wasn't heavy-handed or condescending like some movies seem to deal with that topic. I just tried to contextualize how similar events can be experienced in completely different ways depending on the amount of money you have. Surprises, when you're rich, are welcomed and exciting, since you have the resources to deal with them, however for the poor surprises are grim and need to be dealt with using only limited means. The rain scene really drove this home. I also liked how after the rain scene the rich couple in the movie made the poorer family participate in the birthday party they were holding, as if paying them to pretend to be happy for their benefit.

I also liked a scene with the poor father where he casually gives his son the advice to be completely nihlist, since plans go to shit anyway, why bother looking toward the future? It was grim, but I think a lot of people who have had to struggle financially can understand that. Planning further than a month ahead is something you can do only when you have enough stored away to withstand the storms that you might have to face.

It reminds me of somethin I read about minimalist lifestyles, like the "100 items" challenge where you are supposed to get rid of as much as possible until you have 100 items. The appeal is that it simplifies life and also it's supposed to be a stand against consumerism. The thing I read mentioned how only having 100 items is something you can do only if you are quite well-off, since people who are poor will generally have to find items for cheap and store them away just in case. If you make enough money, whenever you need something you can just buy it, but that's not the case if you struggle, since you might not have the money to buy something when you need it. Again, it's one of those things that you take for granted when you make enough money not to struggle.

On a final note, I also found it weirdly funny how the rich couple had a sexual fantasy that revolved around the "working-class" drug culture. I read a thing later where someone said that in Korea, drugs are even more stigmitized than they are in the West, and a scene like that really underlines that the sexual fantasy they had was something relating to the poor. All in all, it was a good movie and definately worth watching, the scenes were arranged well and it was a pleasure to watch.