These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ The films social commentary on class is at its strongest in this depiction of the lower classes fighting against each other rather than against the 1% who truly hold more accountability. 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. After expressing some doubt at the lies he would have to sell to land the tutoring gig, Ki-woo enlists the help of the artistic Ki-jeong to forge university papers for him in order to land the job. Managing to never get caught up to that point, though, was definitely a feat on its own merits, even if it was in a basement. Not affiliated with Harvard College. A highlight of the film for me that cannot go uncredited was the music and score. TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FILM PLEASE!*. Mrs Kim calling Mr Kim a cockroach, which we all understand is a relentless survivor that not only 1) runs and hides at signs of danger, but also 2) is literally a parasitic insect that doesnt contribute to the ecosystem. Parasite has a lot worthy of analysis and it has a lot to say. The film was, for lack of better descriptors, a fucking wild trip. Presented with the opportunity to tutor the Parks teenage daughter at the beginning of the film, he recruits his sister, Ki-jung (Park So Dam), father, Ki-taek (Song Kang Ho), and mother, Chung-sook (Chang Hyae Jin), to masquerade as unrelated workers so they can oust the Parks current help, infiltrate the household and take advantage of the familys surplus wealth. Its revealed that as Mr Kim escapes the house, he realises where he must go back into the house, into the bunker, to hide out for the remainder of his life. The Kim family is destroyed; Ki-jung is killed, Ki-woo is left brain-damaged, and Ki-taek is forced into hiding after he snaps and acts out a classism-driven murder in the chaos of the birthday party. For years the country has been producing some of the finest films and directors in the world of cinema, but Parasite has crossed new milestones in terms of global impact. Whats their function? The film is packed with social commentary, thrilling moments, and plenty of meaty writing worthy of a full Parasite movie analysis. He translates the code and realizes that it is a message from his father, who is living in the bunker. Following the films major twist, Parasite continues in a far darker tone until its ending. When Moon-gwang tries to ascend the stairs and reveal herself, Chung-sook kicks her down, concussing and killing her. Ill do a spoiler-free review first, followed by an in-depth analysis, so dont scroll too far if youve not caught the movie. However, she has no ill intentions, and can even be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband. They take the affluent home as their own while the Parks are away and thats when Moon-gwang shows back up and everything changes. You can download the script here. An American DIY Film Movement, When is Golden Hour? I left the cinema around 2am reeling and shookt, and was still desperately Googling and researching for the films reviews and analyses two hours later. It's a movie of extraordinary cunning and devastating . In contrast to her brother Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung is too well-grounded to look for a potential love interest. Parasite was the first film since Marty in 1955 to win the top prize of both The Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival. It speaks wonders to Parasites accessibility that it was received so well with such widely varying viewers. He soon discovers, however, that Mr. Park does not like his smell, and feels deflated by this insult. Parasite is a South Korean movie from 2019 filled with numerous themes, all being the fault of a patriarchal and hierarchical society we have created. As the night wears on, the Kims manage to escape, running through the torrential downpour to reach their basement apartment in the slums. Parasite Summary The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. Ki-woo Kim (Choi Woo-Shik) is a young man living in poverty in the slums of a nameless South Korean city with his family - father Ki-taek Kim (Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook Kim (Jang Hye-jin), and sister Ki-jung (Park So-dam). The family seems to be a tight-knit, supportive group. Grew up in a middle-class home that was neither poor nor terribly wealthy. I would LOVE to hear from other viewers on their theories on the film, so please feel free to share them with me. After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. 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. But unlike so many upstairs-downstairs films, theres nuance to Bongs depiction of the lower class, largely because of the addition of the secret bunker. RELATED: 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone). Stay up to date on the news from Silicon Valley, and how to take back control of your data and devices. 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. "Parasite" is a film that follows 10 main characters up close (8 of whom are shown below - the other two are not shown for obvious reasons which will become apparent after you have witnessed the movie) with 10 different "characteristics" that need to be captured in the frame - the looks, the personality, the deep pathos that oozes from each character's situation and by giving us . In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. Grew up as an art student at a middle-class family. More books than SparkNotes. Mrs Kim taking advantage of the open lawn to practice her hammer-throw skills, at the expense of someones window. Cockroaches and insects are seen around the house, and at some point, Mr Kim even flicks a stink bug off the table, foreshadowing a larger plot point further on. For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday: CharactersThursday: ThemesFriday: DialogueSaturday: Takeaways. I just felt that frankness was right for the film, even though it's sad." The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. Da-song was perhaps the only hope the Park family had and still they collapsed. Very soon, the Kims also manage to displace the longstanding housekeeper to make room for Mrs Kim to join the operation. The Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks. The only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. Josh Weber is a cinephile and avid reader based in the eastern shore of Maryland. 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. Today we discuss the characters in the script for Parasite. After Geun-sae bludgeons him with it, Ki-woo emerges from a coma all the more motivated to ascend the class ladder, buy the Parks' home, and reunite with his father, who is living in the subterranean bunker. This secret basement reveals an even lower level of status below what we had thought was the floor with the Kim family. But if you dig down deep enough, you can find each characters narrative function, and that can become a lens through which you develop the players in your stories. Thats all I can say without giving away major spoilers! Moon-gwang may first appear as an easy person to take advantage of, but when she returns to the Park family's home to care for her sick husband, we see that she didn't get to where she is by chance. 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. Maybe you're the one who isn't a good judge of character, Min. Ki-jung is Ki-woo's sister, a smart and tough young woman who does not suffer fools. Realizing that they are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the Parks. 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. When you move up the ladder, someone else has to be displaced. The script for "Parasite" will get a ton of attention as it's one of those clever twisting and turning tales for which the screenwriter gets the most credit (Bong and Han Jin-won, in this case), but this is very much an exercise in visual language that reaffirms Bong as a master.Working with the incredible cinematographer Kyung-pyo Hong ("Burning," "Snowpiercer") and an A-list . Mr Park makes a comment about smelling Mr Kim (who, unbeknownst to him, is literally right under his nose), and complains about the smell that Mr Kim exudes. Writers can shade and shape a storys character in limitless ways. A visual medium requires visual methods. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. On his birthday, a day like today, he had snuck down to the kitchen to eat his birthday cake, but Moon-kwangs husband had snuck up the basement stairs and made eye contact with Da-song. While attending a birthday party for the Parks young son, Da-song (Jung Hyeon Jun), Ki-woo heads to the bunker carrying a heavy scholar stone he once received as a gift intended to bring his family material wealth. The Kim family, living in poverty, struggles to make ends meet by doing menial jobs such as folding pizza boxes for a local pizza shop. Ki-Woo's high school friend persuaded Ki-Woo to take his place as an English tutor for the Parks family's young girl. The young man changes his name to Kevin and begins tutoring Park Da-hye (Jung Ziso), who immediately falls for him, of course. After the run-in with Moon-gwang and her husband, Ki-woo becomes exceedingly attached to the lucky rock that his friend gave him, and carries it around as a totem. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist,The New York Times, and Rolling Stone,and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. At every point, the viewer understands whose perspective were supposed to follow due to the tracking shots as we move with each character. Geun-se worshiped Mr. Park and his professional success but continued to live beneath him. Blood is shed and deaths are cast at the birthday party of the Park familys youngest child. As we enter the house, we see that the same design sensibilities are used the house has plenty of wide, open spaces and minimalistic furniture. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!! The cinematography was also amazing. Its no accident that the lower-class protagonists happen to have the single most common surname in South Korea. Their quest for upward mobility is futile. What an astute observation for a young child, and this was such a key detail to throw in. Not affiliated with Harvard College. 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. He takes a liking to Ki-jeong and trusts her, but unjustifiably suffers the most at the hands of Moon-kwangs family and the Kim family, suffering two seizures resulting from shock.