Parasite, the inaugural foreign-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, has already had a profound effect on the cultural landscape, prompting more people to explore both world cinema and more unconventional dramas and thrillers. Below we have listed a list of best movies like Parasite.
For those who were captivated by the narrative and execution of Parasite and wish to experience something similarly unpredictable and expertly crafted, there are numerous other films of similar caliber that are available.
Also, you can check the list of best movie collections of films like The Menu. Along with that have a brief look at Best psychological thrillers on Prime Video.
Mother
 | Mother | |
| Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | Runtime 2 Hours 49 Minutes | |
| Director Bong Joon Ho | 7.7/10 | |
| Cast Hye-ja Kim, Won Bin, Jin Goo | ||
The 2009 film Mother is particularly noteworthy for its unpredictable plot, which follows an elderly woman seeking to avenge her son for murdering a young girl, as well as its grounded exploration of the struggles of the working class in modern South Korea.
Much like its predecessor, Parasite, Mother manages to combine dark comedy, spiritual drama, and shocking violence, while also highlighting the director’s signature style through the work of his shared cinematography.
Good Time
 | Good Time | |
| Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller | Runtime 1 Hour 42 Minutes | |
| Director Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie | 7.3/10 | |
| Cast Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer, Jason Leigh | ||
This movie is a real wild ride! Robert Pattinson plays a bank robber who loses his brother, who is developmentally disabled, to prison after a bad job. He’s on a mission to get him out of jail as soon as he can, and he’ll do whatever it takes to do it.
Pattinson’s performance is so strong, and the movie’s presentation and direction are so intense, you never know where it’ll take you. It’s not as sophisticated as Parasite, but it’s just as clever.
Infernal Affairs
 | Infernal Affairs | |
| Genre Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | Runtime 1 Hour 41 Minutes | |
| Director Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | 8.0/10 | |
| Cast Andy Lau, Tony, Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong | ||
Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong movie that was a huge hit with audiences around the world. It’s about two undercover informers who are on opposite sides of a police raid to take down a triad boss. It’s full of twists and turns as each spy searches for the other.
It’s one of those Asian modern classics that was remade in Hollywood a few times in the 2000s, but it’s one of the more reliable and well-made ones. The American version of the movie was the one that finally got Martin Scorsese an Oscar for Best Director – Bong Joon Ho even mentioned him as a big influence when he got his own Oscar. So if you’re a Parasite fan, you’ll definitely want to see this one!
Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time
 | Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time | |
| Genre Crime, Drama | Runtime 2 Hours 14 Minutes | |
| Director Jong-bin Yoon | 7.0/10 | |
| Cast Choi Min-sik, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong | ||
This modern classic from Martin Scorsese follows a low-level, corrupt customs agent who makes his way through the criminal world of Busan in the 80s and 90s.
It’s like a modern-day Breaking Bad, where the story seems straightforward from the get-go, but it always manages to keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see how things turn out. Just like Parasite, it’s a fun and insightful look at how people climb the social ladder and become criminals in a changing nation, and it’s enriched by the unique culture of Korea.
Shoplifters
 | Shoplifters | |
| Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller | Runtime 2 Hours 1 Minutes | |
| Director Shoplifters | 7.9/10 | |
| Cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Kirin Kiki | ||
A poverty-stricken Tokyo family robs in order to survive, with their children playing a vital role in the process. While the Palme d’Or-winning film is more emotionally charged than a typical crime drama such as Parasite, the scenes of the Kim family’s actual shoplifting are just as suspenseful as any con they pull off.
Shoplifters explores the concept of a family that has grown in spite of the insatiable nature of today’s world and reveals an equally satisfyingly shocking third-act twist as Parasite.
The Housemaid
 | The Housemaid | |
| Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller | Runtime 1 Hour 49 Minutes | |
| Director Kim Ki-young | 7.3/10 | |
| Cast Jin Kyu Kim, Jeung-nyeo Ju, Eun-shim Lee | ||
According to Bong, Kim Ki-Young’s horror drama The Housemaid had a huge impact on his voice as a director, and it was a direct influence on Parasite. The story may seem like a typical cautionary tale of a middle-class husband who is manipulated by a female monster, but the sudden turns in the plot reveal many of the deep social anxieties facing a changing Korea at that time.
Parasite fans should also look out for the 2010 remake of The Housemaid, which is much less sympathetic to the middle-class family’s place in the social ladder, much like Bong would have done in Parasite.
A Hard Day
 | A Hard Day | |
| Genre Action, Crime, Thriller | Runtime 1 Hour 51 Minutes | |
| Director Seong Hun Kim | 7.2/10 | |
| Cast Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong, Man-sik Jeong | ||
A Hard Day is one of the most suspenseful thrillers of all time. The story follows a corrupt cop who, while attending his mother’s funeral, accidentally causes the death of another man with his car.
This incident triggers an internal affairs raid on the cop’s office, but it’s only the start of an incredibly dark, humorous, and exhausting ordeal. While A Hard Day is more of an action film than a drama such as Parasite, it still has its own unique atmosphere and plenty of surprises for even the most experienced film fans.
Wrapping it up!
The Academy Award-winning foreign-language film, Parasite, has had a considerable impact on the cultural realm, encouraging more people to seek out world cinema and more unusual dramas and suspenseful thrillers. For those who have been captivated by the story and production of Parasite and would like to experience something similarly unconventional and expertly produced, there are numerous films of similar caliber available.
