Parasite (2019)

Parasitic Society Metaphor

Ominois and claustrophobic movie telling the story of a poor, low class family using their wits to con their way into getting what they want such as employment, their employers' house and wealth, the way upper class people lives, etc.

It depicts the judgmental gullibilty of this rich family made them an easy target for the cons. Oddly, none of the characters in this film will make you feel love or sympathy for them.

This film was done in a way that deserved an 8 minutes standing ovation in Cannes Film festival. Although it is not my kind of film to watch, due to the hype, it got me interested enough to devote my undivided attention and it didn't fail me.

Whatever genre of films you enjoy, I suggest giving this film a chance and see for yourself the reason why it garnered so much award and attention internationally.

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Statement on social class divides

Parasite is one of deepest films I have ever seen and of course it was written and directed by Bong Joon-Ho. There is a reason why it was nominated and won so many awards.
At first glance Parasite is just a typical good movie exploring the difference in dynamics between a rich family and a poor one and the clashing that occurs between them. However, if you really delve into the details and symbolisms that Bong Joon-Ho carefully curated in this film there is so much more to be uncovered namely the pointing out the broken system which perpetuates the divide between the upper social class from the lower one. I think that in order to grasp all the details rewatching the movie is a necessity and even one re-watch might not be enough.
A detail that I just learned is that Bong Joon-Ho actually wrote this film based on his own experience tutoring an upper class family, obviously not the entire plot.



**************************Spoilers and analysis from here******************************
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As I said before Parasite is a reflection of the struggles and clashes between rich and poor and the end of the film shows the harsh reality that poor families are not able to rise from their low status no matter how hard they try because of the broken social system.
Here are some symbols and key themes that Bong Joon-Ho uses throughout the film to express these ideas. (Also comment more themes/ analysis you saw in the film. I'm curious to hear other thoughts!)

The most famous being Ram-Don/Chapaguri:
It's a combo of Neoguri and Chappagetti korean instant ramen noodles (very inexpensive). But the Park family adds steak, this shows the drastic difference in social status between the poor Kim family who probably would rarely be able to afford expensive quality meats to add to their instant noodles as a snack.

High/Low Ground and Water to signify rich vs. poor:
Water runs downwards from low to high. The poor people live in semi-basement apartments, they are drowning in society and this physically happens in the film. Ki-Jung says in the film that there is no way to escape the basement smell (poverty) unless they leave the basement (get rich). However, the semi-basement apartments still has partial sunlight (they have hope). The rich house is on high ground, there are stairs leading up to the house and in the movie we see a scene where Kiwoo is reading on the lawn in the full sunlight.
When we are introduced to the true basement we see the stark contrast to the other two houses. This place has no natural light (no hope) the house keeper family acknowledges that they are poor. This is contrasted with the Kim family who attempts to act sophisticated, Kiwoo's mom denies being anything like the house keeper when she tries to suggest that the two of them are the same.
And then at the end of the movie we see Kiwoo's father is forced to retreat to the basement.

Scholars Stone:
It is mostly a collectors item, given to the Kim family from Kiwoo’s rich friend
symbolic of Kiwoo’s innermost desires to become rich like his friend (Min) and join the world in the sunlight (rich), it rises in the water when their house floods unnaturally as rocks are heavier than water (eggs on their desires). The rock is also very ironic and symbolic as it is a blow to the head from this rock that knocks out Kiwoo. In the ending scenes in Kiwoo’s dream to become rich he is shown placing the rock in a river bed with many other rocks seemingly indistinguishable symbolizing that he has reached his goals and no longer sees the rock as meaningful he has reached his goal of joining the upper class. This can be compared to the scene following the flooding of their home in the emergency shelter where he is desperately holding the stone and the beginning where he and his whole family are fawning over the gift.

The Knife at the Birthday Party:
This is probably the most simple theme but the idea that Death doesn't discriminate between rich an poor. The Knife ends up killing both Kiyung and Mr. Park.

Soju:
Kiwoo and Min, his friend who gave him the job, share soju which is a type of Korean alcohol as I'm sure many of you know. Soju is cheap therefore it is accessible to even poor families like the Kims. It shows Min’s humility compared to the Park family. He is rich as well but sees Kiwoo as more equal.

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Absurd, twisted and deliciously dark family saga.

The gap between the poor and the rich is depicted with sharp humor, unexpected twists and a lot of darkness in Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. It's a lovely black comedy about the most twisted household since Dogtooth.

Despite unemployment and poverty, Ki-taek and his family manage to keep their spirits up. Mom, dad and two soon-to-be-grown children are crammed into a shabby basement in a run-down alley, constantly looking for odd jobs and free wifi. The family doesn't have much, but they have a nice cohesion, cordial jargon and ambitions for a better life.

When the son Ki-woo receives a tip about a job with a rich family, the possibilities for an extra income open up. With a forged university diploma, he gets a job as an English teacher for the Park family's teenage daughter. Also living in the luxurious villa is a businessman, his housewife, a quiet guy who mostly expresses himself through drawings, and the housekeeper who keeps everyone in order.

Ki-woo soon seizes the chance to arrange a job for his sister, Ki-jung, as the boy's "art therapist". He advises Mrs. Park of "a talented acquaintance," who is "probably very busy," but he will do his best to arrange a meeting. On false credentials and with made-up names, both siblings have soon tricked themselves into employment with the wealthy family.

How long can they keep up the lies, and how far can the charade go? This is just the beginning of a twisted scenario that Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja) has so masterfully directed. Here is the DNA of both the Sune family and the absurd Greek Dogtooth (2009) from Yorgos Lanthimos. While Parasite feels completely original, never predictable, and impossible to put into a single genre box.

Comedy and tragedy go hand in hand through Bong's twisty corridors, and you never know what awaits around the next corner. Parasite is a film that is best experienced without knowing anything in advance. It's an entertaining story that grabs me early on with its delightful humor, and then just tightens its grip more and more as the film goes on.

Not entirely unsurprisingly, the director also talks about the gaps between those who have money and those who have none. You can see the film as a commentary on a society where the poor take desperate measures to climb out of their misery, and where the rich turn a blind eye to what is happening in the outside world. Bong Joon-ho has made one of the best movies of 2019, and I'm loving every second of it!

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Dark and deep

Like, really, this discrimination against the lower classes is bothersome and disgusting. Though I only have a few dialogues that I liked, the bottom line of the story, I think lies in the characters' attitudes and the setting itself. This family is on a whole other level of racking their brains. If this family living in poverty is so desperate to live, just to live, and so are the other impoverished families. But it's sad to affirm that the scene where Kim Gi Wu's family was fighting against Guk Mun Gwang and her husband, is the situation of many of the indigents. Poor versus poor, while the rich remain unbothered is a real thing in our society. If pulling each other down is an individual's solution then it would never work out. Sometimes people get too blinded by the idea of being comfortable that they would take chance to commit some things, not deeply comprehending how it would affect the other party. Yes, that's because they want survival, and it's their choice, but why choose to survive alone when you both can survive together, just with cooperation.

That's one of the points the movie is trying to point out, I suppose. Another scene is the erotic one, that's the turning point, they started to realize that they were opposed to the wrong enemy. This adds up to the meaning of the title parasite and how intensely linked it is to the storyline. The needy people all gaining from the host (rich). They were the parasites, but they had to taint each other's hands with blood to gain better.

And the part when Mr. Park was sickened of the blood is so horrifying. A rich person, who did not care if someone died because of the rivalry for his riches, is apathetic, cruel. He obviously did not care about anyone. He only wanted a comfortable living with his family. Not in a bit, empathetic.

The poor can be greedy, the middle class can be greedy, and the rich can be greedy. No exceptions. No matter how poor you are, once you step upper in the ladder, you will want more. No matter how rich you are, you will aim for more. Money isn't the solution happiness is, but if money is your happiness you will never be happy.

I was only thrilled once, the acting was superb as I hated whom I was supposed to hate. The climax left me perturbed. The only reason I didn't rate this a solid because I wasn't feeling the thrill more than I should be feeling it. Besides, the genre is a black comedy, thriller. I had picked up messages from this movie, which is better enough since I always call a movie "superb" if it's meaningful. Sure enough, this movie is meaningful.

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A thriller that will blow your mind with every plot twist

Parasite easily became my favorite movie as soon as I watched it, over a year ago.
It has to be one of the best narrative films I've ever seen! Nothing can be truly compared to it.
Every single scene feels super intriguing, and it had me hooked from very beginning because it just keeps getting crazier and crazier.
The plot revolves around two families, a rich family, and a low class family, that "without a plan" starts making their way into the wealthy's life to work for them in order to get away from their flooded apartment and the poor Wi-Fi connection, not knowing that it'll just just make things even more complicated for them.

This movie made me reflect a lot on capitalism and how much society makes us think that in order to be happy, you have to be living someone else's life. And unless you fake it till' you make it, you will be looked down upon because you stink.

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I loved it sooo much!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

OMG what's happening here?! omomo
This film really can catch everyone's attention, from the very beginning. The hungarian dubbed sounds also fit to a large extent and they are not disturbing at all. It was enjoyable in both languages, with both Korean and Hungarian dubbing. The plot threads are perfectly connected and they are also remarkable. The soundtracks are dramatized at once, but still creepily cool!
The casting of the actors was also a great success! Both the main and supporting actors too. AND THE END OF THE movie wassss touched but at the same time it was great and "artistic" as well. I loved the ending scene! I know that I would defenetely watch it again and again this movie in the future! I can recommend this movie for everyone!!

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Directed by Bong Joon-ho. "Parasite" follows the members of a poor household (Kim) scheming to become employees of a much wealthier family (Park) by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.

This movie exceeded my expectations. What a way to showcase class struggles and differences between the wealthy and financially lacking in brilliantly done social commentary! This movie feels like it's moving at lightning pace because of how effortlessly it flows. There isn't a dull moment to it, you're either on edge or learning more about it's well-defined characters. Each is distinct and so well performed. I recognized Korean-Canadian actor Woo-sik Choi from "Train to Busan" (he's looking fine in this too btw XD) as the brother Ki-Woo. I may be biased because I've grown to really like seeing him, but he was my favorite character in this film. I see him as the main character since he really starts the film with a conversation and ends it with a monologue to his father. Really well done, applause to you sir!

I loved seeing the scheming involved in this, with a name like "Parasite" I thought this was going to be sci-fi in nature. But it's not at all! It's more of a home invasion film where the rich owners willingly allow these people to come into their lives. The Kim family were some sneaky bastards let me tell you and I loved it! It's like a better version of Ocean's films (sorry fans of that series), but with less heisting and more actual manual labour. But still a lot of deception, showing class division without making the rich too "villain-like". So seeing as the story/screenplay was superb, it's of course coupled with great camerawork/visual representations and an on-point soundtrack to back it up. There's some amazing parallel driven scenes that involve flooding that show that you don't have to treat an audience like they need to be spoon-fed information. Which I appreciate a lot! I'm so glad this film had a U.S. release because not having people over here see it because of subtitles...that would be tragic! I want more foreign films released in theatres over here to be honest!

This by far is one of the best films of 2019. It's thrilling, funny, tragic and very very intelligent. Please watch it if you haven't! I'm definitely going to have to check out more from the director/co-writer because he's impressed me highly and clearly is a master at his own craft. I love Asian cinema and foreign films in general, this is exactly why. You miss out on so much greatness if you stick to only "your language" while watching films. Don't be one of those people! I'm going to have to watch the movie a few more times to really pick up on everything. Also final side-note, the poster for this film is genius. You'll know what I mean once you've watched it.

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Very dark with surprising twists

8.5/10 is my rating. This is South ean thriller thriller drama that runs 132 minutes.

Two worlds collide when members of a poor family struggling to make end meet go to work for the wealthy Park family. In the same genre of dark twisted tales as “Basic Instinct”, “Gone Girl”, “Pacific Heights”, “Momento” and “The Game.”

Kim Ki-taek, Mr Kim; (Song Kang-ho)
Head of the down on their luck but looking for their next mark Kim family. He poses as an experienced chauffeur to gain employment with the Parks.
Park Dong-ik, Nathan (Lee Sun-kyun)
ERned his wealth as a successful business man and mostly allows his wife to manage household affairs including hiring household staff.
Choi Yeon-gyo, Madame (Cho Yeo-jeong)
The easily manipulated wife and mother of the Park family.
Kim Ki-woo, Kevin (Choi Woo-shik). Ki-woo’s friend approached him as he was leaving to study abroad and wanted him to fill in his tutoring job and keep other boys away from the girl he is tutoring and likes (he is waiting for her to get older). While Ki-woo does not have credentials he has studied for and taken entrance exams enough that he has gained expertise. He is the first member of the Kim family to be employed by the Parks.
Kim Ki-jung , Jessica (Park So-dam) Upon mention the Park family is looking for an art teacher, Kevin says he might know someone who can appreciate the Park son’s unique art style and introduces Jessica (secretly his sister who also has phony credentials).
Chung-sook (Jang Hye-Jin). Matriarch of the Kim family her other family members work behind the scenes to get her hired as the head housekeeper (all the while pretending not to know each other)
Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so) High school daughter of the Park family who is being tutored to prepare for entrance exams.
Park Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun) youngest member of the Park family. He receives art lessons from Jessica.
Son of the Park family, who is obsessed with Native Americans.
Park Seo-joon as Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) Ki-woo’s friend who gets the entire Kim family in the door (unintentionally) by recommending his friend, Ki-woo to replace him as
Da-Hye’s tutor.
This was a very dark story in that the wealthy family was conned into giving the entire Kim family positions which they were not qualified for. Through careful manipulation and deceit they were able to eliminate existing staff and obtain high paying jobs with the Parks. At one point the Kim’s collected information on all relevant personal and financial details leading to the conclusion rather had something even darker in mind. Things took some very unexpected twists at the end. I liked this movie and it reminded me of some very dark American dramas I have seen over the years. i felt like the change from one up man ship to murder happened more quickly than the situation warranted and felt it would have added suspense if things had built to that point a bit more slowly. It is a very good movie in this genre and I understand why it gained recognition.

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Parasite depicts the perpetual social stratification persistent in every society. The director Bong Joon Ho is best known because of his droll representation of deep rooted societal issues. It was entertaining with a phlegmatic touch which while watching would not deviate the viewers’ attention to only the subject matter. Rather it was made in such a way that through an enjoyable ludicrous lens, they would focus on the issue unequivocally. No matter how accepting the rich might seem to the poor class; nevertheless, in reality, there is always the rich exudes conceitedness and the poor exudes resentment of possessing less.

The dissension between bourgeois and proletariat were presented with two families where obviously one belongs to the privileged class whereas another from the lower middle class. Fate turned up in a way where both families come in contact with each other through adopting shoddy method by the latter. Eventually the temporary elation transformed into repugnant misfortunes costing both the families’ life of a loved one though there was no pernicious intention whatsoever from the beginning.

Basically to my perception, the writer wanted to elicit that accepting one’s socio-economic condition is the best way rather than being wafted by greed. Precipitous actions would always bring-forth debacle. As the very name suggests itself “parasite”, this social parasite had existed, existing and will exist but instead of indignation it is ideal to work consistently and persistently towards changing one’s situation.

All in all it is a fantastic movie. No wonder it already secured a reputable international award. The casts had all shown remarkable performances, alongside smart writing and direction. Everyone interested in movies in general should watch it because I have personally never seen such an unusual portrayal of a typical subject matter.

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The War Between The Drowning and The Drowned

I understand the hype around this movie and it deserves it all. It holds true to the Oscars it won even though those four statues don't define a gem such as this.

Parasite, in general, is a movie about classes in society and the depiction of this theme is deep in many ways with the darkest of humor one can write. It's engaging and thrilling, but most of all, it spreads a message no one would have expected from it. Twenty minutes into it and one is already drawn to the fact that this movie is not something you'd easily find on Netflix or any other movie bingeing sites. When Bong Joon Ho made a film out of this script, he clearly wasn't aiming at beautifying social hierarchy or pleasing the audience ( but he did it anyway), and you'd immediately find that out. The director wanted to spread a meaningful message as he did in all his previous movies and his intentions become clear towards the end of the movie when things take a turn. The movie, Parasite, was aiming at portraying the war between the Drowning and Drowned (both who I refer to as the working class that's trying so hard to survive the clutches of the rich who's the only boat in the vast ocean that can help save them). I wouldn't want to give anything more away so I highly recommend everyone to definitely watch Parasite as it's a rare jade to find these days.

I suggest all who haven't watched Parasite yet to walk in with no expectations. It gets better every minute and you'll know it but having no expectations will just help you experience the entire essence of the movie as you won't be looking forward to something that's not there.

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