Best Movies like Parasite (2019)

Shoplifters explores the daily reality of an impoverished family entangled in questionable schemes, mirroring Parasite's focus on class divide and survival strategies. Both films center on how economic hardship shapes family bonds and moral choices, using intimate domestic settings to highlight the intersection of desperation and ethical ambiguity.

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family. Shoplifters is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 2h 0m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.8 by 2,330 people.

The Handmaiden, like Parasite, employs intricate social deception within a lavish household. Both films revolve around characters infiltrating and manipulating wealthy environments, blending commentary on class disparity with twists surrounding the intersection of servitude and power inside confined domestic spaces.

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune. The Handmaiden is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 25m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 8.2 by 4,414 people. The movie made an estimated total of $38,600,000 in the box office.

Burning is another contemporary South Korean drama that navigates economic and social uncertainties through characters whose lives intersect amid class tensions. Both films employ a slow build of suspense within a sharply observed social context, gradually revealing hidden motivations that disrupt the characters’ precarious stability.

Deliveryman Jong-su is out on a job when he runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jong-su an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jong-su about his most unusual hobby. Burning is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 28m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.4 by 1,849 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,591,038 in the box office.

Snowpiercer also comes from director Bong Joon Ho and tackles themes of class struggle through a setting that starkly divides economic groups. Like Parasite, it uses individuals’ attempts to move between societal strata to drive its conflict, foregrounding social commentary within an innovative narrative structure.

In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine. Snowpiercer is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.9 by 10,549 people. The movie made an estimated total of $86,758,912 in the box office.

Mother shares director Bong Joon Ho’s deft handling of complex family relationships under strain. Both films focus on underprivileged protagonists whose actions set off a chain of unpredictable events, blending drama and thriller elements to explore how familial desperation can spark ethical dilemmas.

A mother lives quietly with her son. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and the boy is charged with the murder. Now, it's his mother's mission to prove him innocent. Mother is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 9m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.7 by 1,713 people. The movie made an estimated total of $17,112,713 in the box office.

Us examines dualities within a family unit and the intrusion of outsiders, paralleling Parasite's exploration of social stratification and the disruptive effects of encroaching into another's lifestyle. Both use genre-spanning narratives combining humor and intense conflict to highlight hidden tensions within contemporary society.

Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited. Us is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 56m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.9 by 8,180 people. The movie made an estimated total of $256,071,218 in the box office.

The Housemaid, a South Korean domestic thriller, deepens into chaos as an outsider becomes entangled with a wealthy household. It shares Parasite’s class preoccupations and the upheaval that erupts when boundaries between servant and served are violated, all within the confines of a modern home.

Eun-yi is hired as a maid in a mansion owned by a wealthy businessman. He quickly starts seducing his employee who seemingly has little choice but to comply with his sexual advances. Soon the women of the family plot against Eun-yi who must fight an equally devious battle to protect herself. The Housemaid is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 47m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.3 by 385 people.

Dogtooth uses a closed domestic environment to explore the dark undercurrents of family control and manipulation, resonating with Parasite’s use of a single household as a microcosm for power struggles. Both films examine how architecture and confinement can amplify social and psychological tensions.

Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission. Dogtooth is a movie from Greece in Greek, with a total 1h 38m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.0 by 2,636 people. The movie made an estimated total of $110,248 in the box office.

Barking Dogs Never Bite, directed by Bong Joon Ho, unveils the comic and desperate efforts of everyday people navigating economic hardship in contemporary Korea. The film’s focus on ordinary struggles in apartment complexes echoes Parasite’s depiction of precarious livelihoods within confined urban settings.

An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action. Barking Dogs Never Bite is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2000 with an average rating of 6.8 by 306 people.

Bacurau addresses issues of survival and resistance in a community facing sudden danger, using elements of social critique similar to Parasite’s. Both films examine how marginalized groups confront forces of wealth and exploitation, blending drama and genre conventions to underscore themes of communal resilience.

Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their community has vanished from most maps. Bacurau is a movie from Brazil in Portuguese, with a total 2h 11m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 7.6 by 1,156 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,554,178 in the box office.

The Square presents a critical look at social dynamics and morality within the bounds of affluence and public image. Its satire of cultural institutions and the collapse of polite society evokes Parasite’s unmasking of class pretensions and the uncomfortable intersections of wealth and desperation.

A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit. The Square is a movie from Sweden in Swedish, with a total 2h 31m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 6.8 by 1,759 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,494,535 in the box office.

The Servant dissects the shifting power dynamics between household staff and employers, echoing Parasite’s focus on the invasion of private spaces and the blurring of social hierarchies inside an upscale home. Both unravel the psychological interplay between those serving and those being served.

An indolent aristocrat gets more than he bargained for when he hires a competent but silently devious manservant. The Servant is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 56m runtime, released in 1963 with an average rating of 7.6 by 378 people.

We Need to Talk About Kevin delves into the hidden dysfunctions that can exist within seemingly normal families, paralleling Parasite’s uncovering of underlying tensions beneath outward appearances. Both films steadily reveal how domestic environments can harbor escalating conflicts with irreversible consequences.

After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager. We Need to Talk About Kevin is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.5 by 3,145 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,800,000 in the box office.

Force Majeure examines family reactions to crisis and challenges to their social roles within an upscale setting. Its focus on the fragility of appearances and unexpected disruption mirrors the way Parasite uses a dramatic intrusion to destabilize both family and social order.

While holidaying in the French Alps, a Swedish family deals with acts of cowardliness as an avalanche breaks out. Force Majeure is a movie from Sweden in Swedish, with a total 1h 59m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.8 by 1,237 people. The movie made an estimated total of $4,094,339 in the box office.

The Celebration brings simmering family secrets to the fore during a tense gathering, resonating with Parasite’s exposure of underlying resentments and conflicts in apparently harmonious environments. Both films reveal how domestic spaces become battlegrounds for truth and status amid mounting emotional volatility.

The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial. The Celebration is a movie from Denmark in Danish, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 7.7 by 1,286 people.

Mystic River explores deeply buried secrets and how personal tragedies fracture families and communities. Like Parasite, it carefully unravels characters’ motives and deceptions, employing a slow-burn structure to examine the ripple effects of a single, life-altering incident within a close-knit group.

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy. Mystic River is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 18m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 7.7 by 7,577 people. The movie made an estimated total of $156,800,000 in the box office.

American Beauty probes beneath the surface of suburban affluence to expose hidden desires and hypocrisies, paralleling Parasite’s investigation of class aspirations and the illusion of domestic contentment. Both films balance pointed social observation with a narrative that reveals the instability under everyday facades.

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend. American Beauty is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 2m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 8.0 by 13,191 people. The movie made an estimated total of $356,296,601 in the box office.

La Cérémonie chronicles the disruption of class boundaries when a new housekeeper upends a well-ordered bourgeois household, much like Parasite’s outsiders destabilize the Parks' privileged life. Both films scrutinize the power exchanges and precarious harmony between servants and their wealthy employers.

Sophie, a quiet and shy maid working for an upper-class French family, finds a friend in the energetic and uncompromising postmaster Jeanne, who encourages her to stand up against her bourgeois employers. La Cérémonie is a movie from France in French, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.3 by 402 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,882,920 in the box office.

A Separation weaves domestic drama with ethical dilemmas, focusing on a family coping with social and financial pressures. Its emphasis on moral ambiguity and the impact of small decisions in confined home settings has strong affinities with Parasite’s nuanced portrait of everyday struggles and shifting loyalties.

A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease. A Separation is a movie from Iran in Persian, with a total 2h 3m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.9 by 1,984 people. The movie made an estimated total of $24,426,169 in the box office.

The Gift involves unanticipated consequences when a family’s stable life is invaded by an outsider’s scheme. This incursion leads to escalating tension and secrets, much like Parasite’s narrative of infiltration and the resulting instability within an affluent household.

Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon's high school acquaintance sends their world into a tailspin. The Gift is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 48m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 6.7 by 3,543 people. The movie made an estimated total of $58,978,653 in the box office.

Get Out addresses social anxiety and hidden tensions when characters enter spaces outside their class or cultural experience. Like Parasite, it uses a combination of thriller and darkly comedic elements to reveal the dangers lurking beneath the facade of privilege and hospitality.

Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined. Get Out is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.6 by 19,107 people. The movie made an estimated total of $255,407,969 in the box office.

mother! is set almost entirely within a single home where outside forces create escalating chaos and conflict. Its examination of disruption to domestic peace shares structural and thematic similarities with Parasite’s depiction of outsiders penetrating and unsettling a wealthier family’s meticulously ordered environment.

A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. mother! is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 1m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.0 by 7,176 people. The movie made an estimated total of $44,516,999 in the box office.

Holy Motors features unpredictable narrative shifts and characters blending multiple roles, akin to the way Parasite’s protagonists adopt various disguises and identities. Both films experiment with storytelling structure and character transformation within a contemporary setting punctuated by humor and unease.

We follow 24 hours in the life of a being moving from life to life like a cold and solitary assassin moving from hit to hit. In each of these interwoven lives, the being possesses an entirely distinct identity: sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes youthful, sometimes old. By turns murderer, beggar, company chairman, monstrous creature, worker, family man. Holy Motors is a movie from France in French, with a total 1h 56m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 7.0 by 1,274 people. The movie made an estimated total of $641,100 in the box office.

Memoir of a Murderer follows characters coping with psychological burdens that erode their sense of safety within familiar environments. Its portrayal of mounting tension and uncertainty in everyday settings aligns with Parasite’s exploration of precariousness and hidden dangers in the lives of ordinary people.

A former serial killer with Alzheimer's fights to protect his daughter from her mysterious boyfriend who may be a serial killer too. Memoir of a Murderer is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.4 by 385 people.

Dogman centers on a working-class protagonist whose circumstances draw him into escalating conflict, similar to Parasite’s depiction of lower-income characters caught in a web of unforeseen events. Both grapple with questions of dignity, desperation, and the personal costs of survival within harsh social systems.

Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance. Dogman is a movie from Italy in Italian, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.5 by 2,306 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,080,147 in the box office.

I Saw the Devil, as a South Korean thriller, immerses viewers in cycles of deception and violence stemming from personal vendetta. Its focus on carefully plotted strategies and moral ambiguity connects it to Parasite’s intricate narrative of manipulation and unforeseen escalation among all involved.

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. Soo-hyeon, a top-secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself. I Saw the Devil is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 24m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 7.8 by 3,092 people. The movie made an estimated total of $12,966,357 in the box office.

Nothing to Hide is set around interpersonal secrets unveiled in a modern social context, much like Parasite unravels hidden truths within an upper-class household. Both employ the gradual revelation of personal deceptions, using group dynamics and confined spaces to intensify dramatic consequences.

To spice up a dinner party, old friends agree to share every private message that pops up on their phones -- with disastrous results. Nothing to Hide is a movie from France in French, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.6 by 1,436 people.

After the Storm addresses a family’s struggles with financial instability and changing relationships in contemporary society, akin to Parasite’s portrait of domestic life shaped by economic insecurity. Each film offers intimate character studies set against broader questions of class and opportunity.

Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long. After the Storm is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 57m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 7.2 by 398 people. The movie made an estimated total of $272,132 in the box office.

Perfect Blue uses psychological tension and fractured identity as central to its character-driven story. Like Parasite, it explores how rapidly shifting circumstances unravel ordinary lives, with mounting suspense and ambiguity stitched into the journey of transformation and adaptation.

Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. Perfect Blue is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 21m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 8.3 by 3,275 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,743,097 in the box office.

Incendies examines families torn apart by unexpected revelations and tumultuous events, paralleling Parasite’s theme of hidden histories disrupting the present. Both films draw on personal mysteries and the gradual disclosure of long-held secrets to generate emotional intensity and narrative momentum.

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love. Incendies is a movie from Canada in French, with a total 2h 11m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 8.1 by 3,383 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,788,659 in the box office.

Miss Violence concentrates on the impact of secrecy and social judgment within a single family, paralleling Parasite’s exposure of underlying dysfunction in what appears to be a typical household. Both films use the unraveling of family dynamics to comment on social and personal breakdown.

On the day of her birthday, eleven-year-old Angeliki jumps off the balcony and falls to her death with a smile on her face. While the police and Social Services try to discover the reason for this apparent suicide, Angeliki's family keep insisting that it was an accident. What is the secret that young Angeliki took with her? Why does her family persist in trying to "forget" her and to move on with its life? Miss Violence is a movie from Greece in Greek, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.9 by 605 people.

The Others is set almost exclusively in a domestic space and develops its narrative around hidden presences and revelation of unsettling secrets. This mirrors how Parasite’s domestic setting becomes a site of gradual intrusion and shocking discoveries that upend the family equilibrium.

Grace is a woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions. The Others is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,320 people. The movie made an estimated total of $210,002,906 in the box office.

Oldboy is another hallmark of South Korean cinema that navigates revenge, hidden relationships, and complex plotting. Its layered structure and character-driven twists resonate with Parasite’s approach to gradually unmasking truths within a framework of social and personal repercussions.

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors. Oldboy is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 0m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 8.2 by 10,035 people. The movie made an estimated total of $17,500,000 in the box office.

Blue Ruin follows an ordinary individual whose quest for justice exposes him to the dangers of taking on forces beyond his control. Both Blue Ruin and Parasite chart the descent of everyday people into actions with life-altering consequences, set against a backdrop of socioeconomic hardship.

When the quiet life of a beach bum is upended by dreadful news, he sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. However, he proves an inept assassin and finds himself in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family. Blue Ruin is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 30m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.8 by 1,655 people. The movie made an estimated total of $993,313 in the box office.

The Chaser unpacks the desperate actions of those on society’s margins amid a tightly woven thriller narrative. Its depiction of individuals pursuing their own interests at great personal cost echoes Parasite’s portrayal of morally ambiguous survival tactics entangled with class-driven conflict.

Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp, who's in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by the same client, whom one of his girls is meeting with right now. The Chaser is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 5m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 7.8 by 1,580 people.

Inheritance builds tension around the fissures exposed in an affluent family after a disturbing event disrupts their facade of unity. Like Parasite, it explores how wealth and secrecy within a privileged household can unravel dramatically under the strain of unexpected revelations.

The patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, leaving his wife and daughter with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to unravel and destroy their lives. Inheritance is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2020 with an average rating of 6.3 by 744 people.

Secret Sunshine centers on a character navigating tragedy and shifting personal circumstances within a South Korean setting, echoing Parasite’s focus on ordinary lives upended by unexpected events. Both films explore themes of loss, adaptation, and the search for meaning amid existential unpredictability.

Shin-ae moves to her recently late husband’s hometown. Despite her efforts to settle in this unfamiliar and too-normal place, she finds that she can’t fit in. After a sudden tragedy, Shin-ae turns to Christianity to relieve her pain, but when even this is not permitted, she wages a war against God. Secret Sunshine is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 23m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.2 by 231 people. The movie made an estimated total of $11,581,469 in the box office.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer scrutinizes the disintegration of familial order after the intrusion of a disruptive outsider. This premise strongly echoes Parasite’s structure, where an external element destabilizes a carefully maintained domestic environment, resulting in unpredictable and unsettling consequences.

Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a movie from Ireland in English, with a total 2h 1m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.0 by 4,510 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,700,000 in the box office.

Lady Vengeance brings a Korean perspective to themes of justice, deception, and personal transformation. Its intertwining of moral ambiguity and intricately plotted twists parallels Parasite’s narrative, where characters repeatedly cross social and ethical boundaries to pursue a better life.

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution. Lady Vengeance is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 7.5 by 1,987 people. The movie made an estimated total of $23,803,308 in the box office.