'Parasite' — Black and White Version

Overview

More than eight months since it premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Palme d'Or and sparking a wave of acclaim that's still going, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is still earning plenty of attention. In fact, even though the South Korean masterpiece opened in New Zealand cinemas at the end of June last year, it's still — yes, still — screening on the big screen. It actually hasn't stopped showing in theatres in all of that time.

Whether you've seen the best film of 2019 already, or you've been meaning to catch up, heading along to a session this February is highly recommended. Don't just go to any old screening of the twisty flick, though. On Thursday, February 13 or Friday, February 14 — less than a week after this year's Oscars, where Bong's applauded movie is in the running for six awards — Parasite will be screening in select cinemas in black and white.

Bong has always wanted to make a B&W film, inspired by the works of auteurs such as Jean Renoir, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa and John Ford. While Parasite was shot in colour, this new monochrome print lets its director live out his dreams. And, it lets audiences experience the movie's thrills, secrets and feuding families in a brand new way. As Bong himself explains about watching it in black and white, "the film felt more realistic and sharp, as if I was being cut by a blade."

Aucklanders can check out the B&W version at Academy and Rialto Cinemas.

In the interim, watch the trailer below — in colour, though, not black and white: