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. They fold pizza boxes for a delivery company to make some cash, steal wi-fi from the coffee shop nearby, and leave the windows open when the neighborhood is being fumigated to deal with their own infestation. 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 only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. The script for Parasite will get a ton of attention as its 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. 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. 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. So how do critics convey when a film truly is unexpectedly, brilliantly unpredictable in ways that feel revelatory? The music was truly masterful as it even manages to foreshadow later plot points that would unfold in the settings that conveyed tension or dread through its music. Perhaps he had just gone crazy, but choosing to go after more of the Kim family guaranteed that he would either be killed himself or that he'd land behind bars. Characters from Parasite (2019). Da-song was perhaps the only hope the Park family had and still they collapsed. 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. One set of stairs descends to the central Kim familys dingy semi-basement apartment in modern-day Seoul, while another ascends to the front door of the ultrawealthy Park family, for whom the cash-strapped Kims work. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. 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. With a run-time of 2hrs 15mins that you would barely notice due to the amazing pacing of the film, the film moves seamlessly through its different genres and settings without missing a beat. Mr and Mrs Park make themselves comfortable on the couch as our protagonists nervously wait for an opportunity to sneak out. The entire plot of the film was completely unexpected and otherworldly, giving the audience a great sense of uneasiness and formication. This was foreshadowed early in the film when Mr Kim flicks a stink bug off the table in his house he is the stink bug to Mr Park, a smelly, insignificant insect that is unwelcome, and it is ultimately his stink that triggers his aggression towards Mr Park. A visual medium requires visual methods. There is more to Da-song than meets the eye. Profession English tutor. In a trance-like state as his daughter is bleeding out on the ground, Mr Kim is triggered by Mr Parks balking at the stench and fatally stabs him in the chest before running out the house. The Artist, a French and Belgian production, won best picture at the 2012 Academy Awards but was ineligible for the best foreign language film category as it is a silent film. I would LOVE to hear from other viewers on their theories on the film, so please feel free to share them with me. For some Parasite movie analysis straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene breakdown from Bong Joon-ho. Parasite Analysis: Navigating the Shift At its exact mid-point, Parasite undergoes a massive tonal shift. Ki-jung is Ki-woo's sister, a smart and tough young woman who does not suffer fools. GradeSaver, 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite. 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. 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. He fatally wounds Ki-jeong, stabbing her through the chest as the party guests erupt into panic and scatter. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Parasite is clear-eyed about the illusions that inequality needs in order to perpetuate itself, and about the many systems that shield one-percenters like the Parks from having to get their own hands dirty while engaged in the project of oppression. 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. He stands in the woods near the Parks' house, which has been bought by Germans, and observes that the censor light is turning on and off in a patternMorse Code. The flooding sequence, as depicted on the poster, also illustrates how the wealthy are unaffected by many of the debilitating circumstances that affect the lower classes as they are, quite literally, above the trouble. Moon-kwangs husband escapes up the basement and into the house. The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. Min-hyuk believes that Ki-woo poses no threat to his chances of eventually connecting with his student, Da-hye, and he knows that Ki-woo needs the money, so it is a kind gesture. Moon-kwang reveals that a large cabinet in the basement is actually hiding the entrance to a secret underground bunker, where her husband (Park Myung-hoon) had been living in secret the past few years. Their quest for upward mobility is futile. "Korean dramas vary in terms of theme; from non-violent stories to very dynamic and violent stories." (Parc, J., & Moon, H.-C., 2013). Wealth has rendered her completely helpless, and she often spends her days napping on the couch or purchasing items for the house. Create robust and customizable shot lists. Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. The film is packed with social commentary, thrilling moments, and plenty of meaty writing worthy of a full Parasite movie analysis. But yet, we cant help but to sympathise with the protagonist family as we witness first-hand their destitute plight and desperation to climb out of squalor. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ But theres this: In a screenplay, characters exist for a reason. This is where director Bong Joon-Hos commentary on social status and the wealth divides becomes even more prominent, pitting the Kims against Moon-kwang and her husband as they each threaten to reveal the truth about each other to the Parks. The film's setup has a poor family, the Kims, infiltrating the lives of a wealthy family, the . Parasite represents the most focused and refined approach to class as a subject that Bong Joon-ho has achieved, and thats certainly saying something given his impressive body of work. Mr Kim is the most nonchalant about their misfortunes, even as their house is flooded, leaving the Kims homeless. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Improving the family's financial situation is the most important goal for Ki-Woo, and he remains hopeful of his future. Ki-taek, who is hiding under the table, hears Mr. Park discuss his unsavory smell. He almost outs the Kim family on their scheme when he realizes that both Ki-taek and Chung-sook smell the same. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. Elevation clearly equates to status; the parks have a multi-level home at the top of the hill while the Kims live below street level in a semi-basement, and the surprise 3rd party lives deep underground in a sub-basement. In the good ol' days, her husband Ki-Taek owned a chicken shack, then a Taiwanese Castella shop. Blood is shed and deaths are cast at the birthday party of the Park familys youngest child. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. 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. Stay up to date on the news from Silicon Valley, and how to take back control of your data and devices. describe ki-jung. The Kim family lives in a semi-basement and struggles to keep food on the table. Her charismatic personality makes her excellent at fooling the Parks. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes. Character Analysis. Parasite study guide contains a biography of Bong Joon-ho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Please enable Javascript and hit the button below! With Ki-jeong dead, Ki-woo, recovering from brain damage, obsessively returns to observe the house from afar. Ki-woo hasnt yet executed the vision, recalling his fathers earlier advice that the only way to fulfill a plan is to not make one at all. characters are most like you. 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. However, things went downhill from there. As Moon-kwangs husband and Mrs Kim struggle, Mrs Kim manages to stab Moon-kwangs husband through the abdomen with a skewer. This article was published more than3 years ago, Note: This story, as one might assume from its headline, contains major spoilers for Parasite.. This sets off Ki-taek, who stabs Park in the chest before running away and escaping into the basement bunker unseen. It is the only way Ki-Jung relieves her stress from the reality. It also makes perfect sense to me that a family would have the same smell as they live in the same house and use the same soaps and detergents. 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. The local pizza shop informs the Kims that one in four of the pizza boxes they folded were faulty and could not be used. 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. 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. Bong shows us this vision: Ki-taek ascends the bunker stairs and embraces his son. This paper aims to study the gap between the rich and poor reflected in movie Parasite. How could they possibly compare to a couple leeching off the Parks like this? Ill do a spoiler-free review first, followed by an in-depth analysis, so dont scroll too far if youve not caught the movie. Living in a state-of-art mansion. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. The cinematography was also amazing. But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. This same subject of class is less overt in Parasite but far more grounded and effectively subtle to the point of never overshadowing the story being told for the sake of its themes. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. However, she has no ill intentions, and can even be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband. Ki-woo is what really gets the Kim family through the Park family's door. Hence my principle: Character = Function. It is his success in passing as a competent English tutor that allows him to invite Ki-jeong into the home and so on. Ki-jung begins working for the parks under the guise of an art-therapy teacher. Each family has their own desperate reasons to continue leeching off the wealth of the Parks, and both would stop at nothing to do what is best or necessary for their family. It is one of the most effective satires in recent memory. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. Mr Park (Lee Sun-gyun) is clever enough to question that fact that leaving panties behind in a car is not something normal, even in the throes of forbidden fornication. He is obsessed with keeping his employees controlled and hates nothing more than when one of his charges "crosses the line." After Chung-sook stabs Geun-sae with a meat skewer, Mr. Park grabs the keys from under him, but in the process, scowls at Geun-sae's smell. Hes skewered classicism in all of his films to some degree. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. This simple, comedic entry sets up the level of poverty that the Kim family faces. Here are our rankings of the most intelligent and least intelligent characters. A graduate of Brigham Young University's English program, he can be found re-watching HALT AND CATCH FIRE when he's not elbow deep trying to stay caught up on the latest movies and TV shows. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. Read the script for the award-winning foreign film and analyze all week. The characters are a reason for the success and we've ranked how smart they are. describe ki-woo. The topic of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a clear fascination with. Buy TVs. Electronics prices are defying inflation. However, if I had to pinpoint one member who would be the eponymous parasite, it would have to be Mr Kim. account. 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