Prior to Parasite in 2019, his most focused social commentary on class was found in his 2013 film Snowpiercer which saw the lower class positioned at the back of a train in squalid conditions while the wealthy lived large at the head of the train. Ki-jeongs death was also foreshadowed when she was the only one who got injured in the process of hiding their house party from the Parks as they returned from their failed camping trip. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Mr Kim, tasked with managing Moon-kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the basement bunker. However, to qualify for the job, Ki-Woo must forge his identity from a man in his mid-20s with no formal education to a student studying business at an elite university. RELATED: 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone). Suffice to say, the wealthy in any country survive on the labor of the poor, whether its the housekeepers, tutors, and drivers they employ, or something much darker. Profession art tutor. Mr Kim and his children continue to hide under the living room coffee table as Da-song camps outside in the lawn, determined to have his birthday camping trip and probably fearful of returning to the house on his birthday. The patriarch of the Kim family. Both parties have dark secrets, and both threaten to expose the other to the Park family, who remain above all the drama, currently unaware. Required fields are marked *. Ill do a spoiler-free review first, followed by an in-depth analysis, so dont scroll too far if youve not caught the movie. Parasite director Bong Joon-hos insightful and engaging comedy/thriller became one of the most talked-about films of the year and set a new precedent for the mark a South Korean movie can leave on United States movie-going audiences. The emotionally-affecting resonance of the ending is the perfect cap to the wonderfully layered social commentary spread throughout the film. "Parasite" is a marvelously entertaining film in terms of narrative, but theres also so much going on underneath about how the rich use the poor to survive in ways that I cant completely spoil here (the best writing about this movie will likely come after its released). Despite their circumstances, you never get the sense that theres any animosity or resentment between them; only a shared discontentment for their living and financial situation. But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. Script Analysis: "Parasite" Part 3: Characters | by Scott Myers | Go Into The Story Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. To explain Parasites ending, we turn to the directors own words: You know and I know - we all know that this kid isn't going to be able to buy that house. At this stage, a creepy sense of foreboding has set in. She is the archetype of the mistress of a wealthy household: glamorous, naive, and good at wielding power with feminine grace. She is very nice, but not especially deep or compassionate. Ki-woo as the Park daughters English tutor, Ki-jeong as the Park sons art tutor/therapist, Mr Kim as the familys chauffeur, and Mrs Kim as the housekeeper. Once the entire Kim family is employed in the Park household, the lower-class con-artists begin to assume more and more of this fabricated identity of wealth. The series of events that unfold are so atypical and subtly interconnected that its only after the film that you would start to recall the small hints of foreshadowing or plot lines set up earlier on in the film. The Kims get trapped in the house, hiding under the coffee table when the Parks arrive home. I had my doubts over who the one would be, but it seems to be Mr Kim. Ki-jung gets the job after impressing Mrs. Park with some pseudo insights about psychology, and Mrs. Park hires her as both a tutor and an art therapist. A highlight of the film for me that cannot go uncredited was the music and score. She is easily deceived by Ki-jeong's framing of the Park family chauffeur as explained by Dong-ik. Parasite has a cynical view of how class operates in a capitalist society, but as Bong has said, its also painfully realistic. At some points, it seemed that the music didnt match the situation, such as instilling fear or anxiety in the listener when there was really nothing to worry about at the moment, but the sense of foreboding always pays off later in the film. RELATED: The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. He notices the flickering light and deciphers a coded message from his father. One of the main reasons why Parasite was such a massive success around the whole world in 2019 is because of its themes and messages of classism and the wealth divide, which are truly universal. Ki-woo is what really gets the Kim family through the Park family's door. She likes to play games with Ki-taek, calling him a cockroach and belittling him, as part of their marital dynamic. The next day, the Kim family is invited back to the Parks as they decide to throw a birthday party for Da-song. Parasite is Bong Joon Ho's newest flick, and it's dark, twisted, and totally fascinating. This sets off Ki-taek, who stabs Park in the chest before running away and escaping into the basement bunker unseen. As the end credits began to roll, the tension in the cinema was palpable. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. After hearing about the peach allergy of the housekeeper, Moon-gwang, Ki-jung and Ki-woo trigger an allergic reaction and make it look like she has tuberculosis. Husband! as they descend into the depths of the bunker also do nothing to alleviate the building tension as we shockingly discover that her husband is in fact a mole person hiding and living right under the Parks noses and supplied food by Moon-kwang regularly, who even worships Mr Park for providing him with food and accommodation. Dont buy eggs. Leaving behind an earring or a strand of hair is common, but an entire article of clothing seems unlikely. That he also manages to go into hiding in the Park's basement as did Geun-sae is pretty impressive given all the people that had to be going in and out of the house. As she scurries into the basement escorted by Mrs Kim, the rest of the Kims-in-hiding surreptitiously follow. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday: CharactersThursday: ThemesFriday: DialogueSaturday: Takeaways. The film was, for lack of better descriptors, a fucking wild trip. He has good intentions, even if he is dishonest about how he achieves success, and just wants to create a better life for his family. Director Bong Joon-Ho himself has described Parasite as a cross-genre film, dipping its toes into the regions of dark comedy, satire, thriller and family drama. We can also see small hints at each of the Kim family members background, such as Chung-Sook aka Mrs Kims medal for hammer-throw hung on the wall. The second half of Parasite is one of the most daring things Ive seen in years narratively. Ki-Jung's family was much better off in her childhood when her father owned a cake shop. I tried to avoid it. As Mrs Park eats in the kitchen, she shares with Mrs Kim the story of the trauma Da-song experienced when he was younger. Moon-kwangs constant wails of Husband! As with great stories, every seeming-antagonist has their own reasons for doing what they do, making it nearly impossible to clearly identify an antagonist as we sympathise with their actions. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. Its no accident that the lower-class protagonists happen to have the single most common surname in South Korea. When Ki-taek throws the keys, they land under Geun-sae, who is fighting with Chung-sook. as Ki-woo ( Ki-taek's son ), Park So-dam The topic of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a clear fascination with. For some Parasite movie analysis straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene breakdown from Bong Joon-ho. More importantly, his failure to dispose of Geun-sae with the rock eventually proves to be not only his undoing but both the Park and Kim families alike. As Moon-kwangs husband and Mrs Kim struggle, Mrs Kim manages to stab Moon-kwangs husband through the abdomen with a skewer. Stay up to date on the news from Silicon Valley, and how to take back control of your data and devices. Like the Park family's young boy, Ki-Woo used to be a Scout as a child. But, before we dig deeper into the social commentary, lets take a look at how the film managed to break through to an unmatched audience size. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. Armed with a knife, he makes a beeline for the first member of the Kim family he can see Ki-jeong, as shes delivering Da-songs birthday cake to him on the lawn. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. son of kim family, smart and ambitious, feels held back by poverty, has good intentions even if he has to be dishonest, wants to create a better life for his family. Moon-kwangs husband, enraged at the Kim family for leaving Moon-kwang for dead, attacks Ki-woo by strangling him and striking him in the head with the very fortune rock that Ki-woo brought. Mr Parks arrogance and distaste for the smell becomes his downfall. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. Ki-taek and Chung-sook, the patriarch and matriarch, are having trouble finding employment, and their children, Ki-woo and Ki-jung are trying to help in whatever way they can. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. For his family members' employment, Ki-Woo manipulates the Parks into firing their original chauffeur and housekeeper without much thought about what will happen next. GradeSaver, 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite. Eventually, the Kims are able to escape, but when they return home, they find their apartment is completely flooded. This time it's true. The film constantly threatens to come apartto take one convoluted turn too many in ways that sink the projectbut Bong holds it all together, and the result is breathtaking. And theres a reason the Kim apartment is halfway undergroundtheyre caught between worlds, stuck in the growing chasm between the haves and the have nots. He is a violent and desperate man, and ends up going on a killing spree after the Kims kill his wife, Moon-gwang. Realizing that they are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the Parks. Buy TVs. 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