Watching the poor family leave their cramped semi-basement home to overtake the. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. 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. characters are most like you. The contrast in appearance between the Kims semi-basement home and the lavish home of the Park family is impossible to miss. He is a violent and desperate man, and ends up going on a killing spree after the Kims kill his wife, Moon-gwang. This is especially impressive given how ethnocentric the Academy Awards often unfold, prioritizing English-language films over foreign-language films much of the time. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. 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. Challenge finding a way out of family's misfortune. The clean, empty spaces of the Park home contrasted against the tight quarters of the Kim living arrangement isnt just symbolic, its visually stimulating without ever calling attention to itself. In contrast to her brother Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung is too well-grounded to look for a potential love interest. Bong Joon-ho displays a mastery over genres and tones with this mid-point shift. All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident. Ki-woo is the son of the Kim family, a smart and ambitious young man who feels held back by poverty. These steps are involved in many of the films pivotal moments, including those in the gruesome final act. Though Parasite cannot be confined to a single genre, it centers its focus on class struggle, a sort of precursor to the warfare of Bongs 2013 thriller Snowpiercer. The staircases represent divisions of class and power the Kims wonder upon wandering upstairs whether, in a just world, they would also belong among the rich, so far above ground; upon descending to their flooded apartment in a storm that merely throws off the Parks camping trip, the Kims are reminded of the disparities between the two families. At every point, the viewer understands whose perspective were supposed to follow due to the tracking shots as we move with each character. 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite Wikipedia Entries for Parasite Introduction Plot Cast Production Themes and interpretations Not only does she completely fall for Ki-woo's masquerading as an English tutor to Da-hye, but she proceeds to hire every other member of the Kim family without doing very much due diligence. 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. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal Its here where we can finally analyse who is the parasite in the film, and who are the antagonists? Ki-woo visits the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park. Ki-woo, the son, is gifted a scholars stone or suseok by a friend and given a recommendation for a tutoring job with a wealthy family. The Parks are not immune to Bongs scrutiny though the mother (Cho Yeo Jeong) is portrayed as a truly kind woman whose naivete befalls her, Mr. Park, her husband, can be quite horrible but this is a moment of clarity for Ki-taek, who realizes his family will always be seen as less than by people like the Parks. Profession English tutor. Moon-kwangs appearance at the Park residence is when the film truly starts to take a shocking, sharp turn in pace and direction. 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. 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. moon-gwang's husband. The crimes of the Kim family are evident they are scammers, inserting themselves into the lives of the Parks to take advantage of their wealth. as Yeon-kyo ( Mr. Park's wife ), Choi Woo-shik He is traumatised not once, but twice at the sight of Moon-kwangs husband, and is also the youngest and most innocent character. Required fields are marked *. After their home is flooded, Ki-taek tells his son that it is best to never have a plan, since plans never work out the way one expects. Soon enough, Ki-woo and Ki-taek secure positions in the Park household for their parents as well. What ensues is a sneaky ploy on the Kim familys part to slowly insert themselves into the lives (and house) of the Park family as they attempt to build a better life for themselves. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". Dong-ik isn't a terrible guy, but he isn't a great one either. Da-song was so shocked at seeing a strange man creep up the stairs with his bug-eyes wide open that he suffered a seizure, and this trauma also explains for the many creepy portraits that Da-song draws. They participate in scenes, move the plot forward through action and dialogue, influence each other, evolve and change. Parasite has a cynical view of how class operates in a capitalist society, but as Bong has said, its also painfully realistic. Youve never seen a movie quite like Parasite. Dammit. She is the archetype of the mistress of a wealthy household: glamorous, naive, and good at wielding power with feminine grace. For more Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho creates meaning through set dressing. Not only does he have to create suspicion about her, but he has to then convince Yeon-gyo to dispose of Moon-gwang without actually advocating for it. Nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, this Korean film certainly has a wide fanbase all over North America. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. Equally impressive was Parasite becoming the first South Korean movie to win the Palme dOr, which is the top prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. One clear way to explain the movie is: Parasite is about class. Class is the primary target of social commentary within Parasite. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. However, things went downhill from there. Mr Kim, tasked with managing Moon-kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the basement bunker. Parasite broke a number of financial records as well, including the highest foreign film opening weekend of all time for the UK box office, and a number of records with the Indie Box Office. It is one of the most effective satires in recent memory. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. The rock is ultimately Ki-woos downfall. Review: Class warfare is on full display in director Bong Joon-hos provocative Parasite. At the start of the film, we are introduced to the Kims, a family struggling to live under impoverished conditions. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. Chung-sook is the matriarch of the Kim family. The Park daughter is not entirely faultless; she seduces Ki-woo and her previous English tutor as well (Ki-woos friend), with Ki-woo even proclaiming the same pledge made by his friend that he would officially date her once she enters university. 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. He notices the flickering light and deciphers a coded message from his father. as Ki-jung ( Ki-taek's daughter ), Chang Hyae-jin For example, Mr Park making callous comments at the expense of the Kim family which eventually lead to him getting stabbed, Mr Park pressuring Mr Kim to make a fool of himself at Da-songs birthday party with the threat of money, and the Parks only concerning themselves with Da-songs seizure despite the fact that Ki-jeong, someone who works for the Park family, had been stabbed at the birthday party. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Its both a literal and metaphorical depiction of just how far removed the Park family and Kim familys circumstances are, and how far down the class divide the Kim family are from the Parks. And what do we do when we see an actual masterpiece in this era of critics crying wolf? The friend is in love with the young girl and doesnt want another tutor slavering over her. Guen-sae may not be the brightest of the bunch, but he's not entirely an idiot either. She calls Chung-sook sister, at which the Kims scoff. Their quest for upward mobility is futile. It seems that Ki-jeong had the most passive hand to play in the situation despite setting off the entire disastrous plot, never going as far as Ki-woo as he forms a romantic relationship with the Parks daughter, or harbouring as much resentment against the Parks as Mr and Mrs Kim. Bong shows us this vision: Ki-taek ascends the bunker stairs and embraces his son. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. The real Parasite movie ending is more bleak and, unfortunately, more realistic. So how do critics convey when a film truly is unexpectedly, brilliantly unpredictable in ways that feel revelatory? The two teenage children, Ki-jeong (Park So-Dam) and Ki-woo, are scrambling around the house trying to get a WiFi signal as the neighbour that they usually leech WiFi off had wised up and made it password-protected. RELATED: The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked. Bong's designs included many staircases in the home that help the wealthy characters disappear off into their own spaces or can be used by the members of the poor family. Its here we can clearly see how money and richness have made the Parks blind and naive. She takes great pride in her work as a housekeeper, and loses her job unexpectedly after the Kims make her peach allergy look like active tuberculosis. Parasite has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean movies. He translates the code and realizes that it is a message from his father, who is living in the bunker. NEXT: Parasite: D&D Alignments Of The Main Characters. Small things, such as the Kim family opening their windows as their neighbourhood is fumigated in order to rid their own apartment of pests, or drunkards that liked to piss on their basement windows at night, were double-edged jokes that combined absurdist humour with sly details of the familys desperation and socio-economic plight. Interests smoking. Reading scripts. Kevin has a much deeper plan. Ki-woo makes some rather poor choices, too, though. All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident. Dong-Ik has a housekeeper to keep his mansion comfortable and a chauffeur to drive him from the busy workplace to his peaceful home. Were here to help. After struggling to make ends meet folding pizza boxes for a local pizza restaurant, the Kims are visited by one of Ki-woo's wealthier friends, Min-hyuk, who offers to refer him to a job tutoring for a wealthy family, the Parks. Not just because the film went full circle with Mr Kim hiding out in the bunker, forever condemned to hide and steal from the houses occupants, but also due to the small hints dropped throughout the film: Its also difficult to identify the main antagonist of the film. 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. Moon-Gwangs return to the house and eventual reveal of the secret basement keeps us on the edges of our seats as viewers and seamlessly blends from the drama/comedy centered first half into the thriller/tragedy centered latter half. Parasite was not just the first South Korean film to win the foreign language prize at the Oscars but also the first foreign language film from any country to win the overall best picture prize. Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han, story by Bong Joon Ho. Dont buy eggs. Moon-kwangs constant wails of Husband! As Da-song faints in fear, Mr. Park yells at Ki-taek to throw him the car keys, so that they can take Da-song to the hospital. Today and maybe forever the Kims remain underground. It seemed intentional that the director lingered on this frame for a moment, hinting at a more sinister development to come. Honestly, it may be a tie between Dong-ik and Yeon-gyo here as they both fall for the deceptions of Ki-jeong and the rest of the Kim family. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. However, things went downhill from there. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family live on the edge of poverty. But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. to infiltrate rooms in . It is his success in passing as a competent English tutor that allows him to invite Ki-jeong into the home and so on. 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