Watching Parasyte The Gray was strangely fun. I thought it would be another monster survival movie but nooooo - colder, quieter and just a little bit more uncomfortable. The show doesn't rush to dazzle you though: it lures you in slow and then doesn't let you feel safe again.
Right off from episode one, things get heavy. It's fear, confusion and also a sense that something's seriously messed up somewhere in the world. The parasites scare me not just because they look weird, but since is quiet and just slip in every day life. They eat, talk, smile. That’s what makes them scary. It gets tricky as to who's human and the series keeps that mystery alive.
Jeon So-nee takes this whole weight on her shoulders. Her personality is broken, but not weak. She behaves like a real person: scared, furious, indifferent. I liked that she is not depicted as a hero. She makes it through by adapting and it's not because she's special or super strong. Her relationship with the parasite inside her is not a friendly or funny one - but a close and uncomfortable one, like two strangers in a locked body.
The parasites themselves are notable because they're not outright villains. Sure they're predators, but they do question their own existence too. Some attempt to understand humans and some mimic human emotions but not necessarily feel them. That blurring of the lines between being a monster and human is where the show really excels. It goes on and on asking silent questions: Who's worth living? What makes someone human? Is it merely cruel born out of survival?
The fight scenes are brutal and fast. There’s no flashy style. The violence is ugly and abrupt - heads explode, bodies disintegrate. It never attempts to make it cool, it just makes it disturbing. I've been turned away a couple of times, no not because it was crazy, but because it was too real and sick in its own way.
The emotional weight was the one that got to me the most. There are sad times that strike hard. Characters die suddenly with no speeches or good-bye, just life ending. You're reminded of that loss all of the time. The show never takes a moment to reassure you. It goes on, as with real life after a tragedy.
There are slow parts too and that's actually a good thing. It gives space for breathing, being uncomfortable, sitting - and quieting. It's not a binge show, which ends every episode on a humongous hook. It depends on the mood and ideas to make you keep watching.
This strikes me as being more realistic and more despondent than the original Japanese Parasyte. Less philosophic conversation, more emotional suspense. It's positively Korean in its emphasis on trauma, guilt and silent suffering. The "Gray" in the title suits well. There's nothing that's ever all black or white.
By the end I was not looking for answers. I was just thinking what I'd seen - how a simple person can ruin his own life, how a mean man can turn to a devil. That feeling of never ending lingers with me even after the final episode.
Parasyte The Gray is not a movie that everyone should be watching. It won't make you feel comfy, amused or with clear cut heroes. But, if you're after dark stories that make you uncomfortable and thought-provoking at the same time, this is worth checking out. It doesn't scream, it crawls under your skin and hides there.
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