Moon-kwangs appearance at the Park residence is when the film truly starts to take a shocking, sharp turn in pace and direction. During the hazing scene as the Kim family enjoy free fumigation services, Mr Kim is the only one visibly not affected by the toxic fumes. It perfectly encapsulated each moment of the film, whether it was absurdist humour, dark humour, escalating tension, or setting the tone for future revelations. Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. Although Ki-Woo lacks the charisma his sister Ki-Jung exhibits, Ki-Woo is an excellent scammer. He works as a list writer for Valnet, Inc. covering Screen Rant. 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. The Kim father and children quickly take cover as Mrs Kim decides to let Moon-kwang in. Moon-gwang is the Parks' first housekeeper, a holdover from the house's first owner, the architect who built it. We even learn that Moon-kwangs husband, like Mr Kim, also had a failed business venture in a cake shop. He deciphers a message, delivered in Morse code via a flickering light, that his father now inhabits the bunker. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. He has held a bunch of different jobs, working as a valet and at a bakery, but struggles to provide for his family. Just as he called Snowpiercer his film about class revolution set in a dystopia his "hallway movie," he has called Parasite his "stairway movie." It is an upstairs-downstairs film that. Objectively, I would say that this has to be the best film that Ive ever watched. For a quick breakdown on satire, including a segment on Parasite, here's an explainer that will answer all your questions about how satire works. Parasite director Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean filmmaker to win best director at the academy awards. Mrs Kim taking advantage of the open lawn to practice her hammer-throw skills, at the expense of someones window. 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. This time it's true. Relationship Status involved with his student Da-Hye. And finally, as we discover when the tone pivots from that of a heist comedy to a rather harrowing but still witty thriller, there is the secret set connecting the Parks basement to a bunker where the husband of the familys former housekeeper has been hiding from loan sharks for about four years. The patriarch of the Kim family. And what do we do when we see an actual masterpiece in this era of critics crying wolf? The crime of the Park family is being unsympathetic, rude and selfish, despite their niceties and naivety. He has the hardest part to play in getting rid of Moon-gwang. The director even created a hash tag to warn people not to spoil the movie for others. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. 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. It is his success in passing as a competent English tutor that allows him to invite Ki-jeong into the home and so on. When folding the pizza boxes during the fumigation, he is the most determined (cockroach-like behaviour, as explained above) but also the most careless with his actions. Parasite Summary The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. Mr Parks arrogance and distaste for the smell becomes his downfall. I tried to avoid it. The visual effects 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. Couldnt she have chosen to do so in broad daylight? When a fluke of luck gets the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), a job as an English tutor for the wealthy Park familys daughter, the lives of the two families start to intertwine in comedic, dramatic, and eventually, disastrous ways. 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. In his art, Da-song perfectly captures the mans relentless gaze, and even his receding hairline. In contrast to her brother Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung is too well-grounded to look for a potential love interest. Synopsis. The original housekeeper, Moon-gwang (Lee Jung Eun), displaced by the scheme, turns up at the home while the Parks are away and begs the Kims to allow her husband, Geun-se (Park Myeong-hoon), to continue living there after they discover him. to infiltrate rooms in . Stick with me here. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. He almost outs the Kim family on their scheme when he realizes that both Ki-taek and Chung-sook smell the same. 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. Ex-housekeeper Moon-kwang claims that she had left something important behind in the basement and was there to collect it. Whats their function? The brilliant set dressing of Parasite combined with the striking architectural-design choices perfectly reinforce the themes of the film, but more on the themes after we finish our Parasite summary. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. The young man changes his name to Kevin and begins tutoring Park Da-hye (Jung Ziso), who immediately falls for him, of course. These themes cross all cultural-barriers and can speak to the 99% anywhere in the world. Mr Kim manages to trap Moon-kwang and her husband in the basement and quickly returns to join his family hiding in the living room. 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. Outside of the sub-basement, violence erupts, and the prophetic scholars stone becomes an instrument of violence. 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. Dont buy eggs. 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. 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. The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. Ki-woo and his sister Ki-jung forge credentials for the job, and thus begins the long-con that sees each member of the Kim family infiltrating the upper-class Park family one-by-one. Mr Kims face as he picks up the tissue stained with blood from the dustbin. 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. Lets shift gears from a Parasite summary to a Parasite movie analysis. He translates the code and realizes that it is a message from his father, who is living in the bunker. Ki-jeong manages to gain the trust of the young Da-song, and was even the last person to show compassion towards Moon-kwang and her husband, offering to bring them food when theyre trapped in the basement. She does an excellent job getting the house back in order before the Park family returns and discovers Moon-gwang and her husband, but she's unable to stop what's coming by then. The real deception is carried out by the Kims, and it works flawlessly. Improving the family's financial situation is the most important goal for Ki-Woo, and he remains hopeful of his future. Before long, mom and dad are in the Park house too, and it seems like everything is going perfectly for the Kim family. 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. Its here where we can finally analyse who is the parasite in the film, and who are the antagonists? 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. The Parks go on a camping trip for Da-song's birthday, leaving the house empty. 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. 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. Now he leads a pleasant life in the mansion with his wife Yeon-Kyo and two children. 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. The film is packed with social commentary, thrilling moments, and plenty of meaty writing worthy of a full , FREE: StudioBinders Screenwriting Software , The Ultimate Guide to Call Sheets (with FREE Call Sheet Template), How to Break Down a Script (with FREE Script Breakdown Sheet), The Only Shot List Template You Need with Free Download, Managing Your Film Budget Cashflow & PO Log (Free Template), A Better Film Crew List Template Booking Sheet, Best Storyboard Softwares (with free Storyboard Templates), What is an Antagonist in a Story Definition & Examples, What is Telos: The Ultimate Guide to Understand Telos for Video Marketing, What is an Anecdote Definition, Examples, and Functions, What is a Memoir Definition, Examples in Literature & Film. She leaves her panties behind in the Parks car as shes being driven home by their original chauffeur, causing Mr and Mrs Park to fire him on the assumption that he had been doing the deed in their car. The characters are a reason for the success and we've ranked how smart they are. Parasite is Bong Joon Ho's newest flick, and it's dark, twisted, and totally fascinating. Interests scouting. Even though the film audience is treated to a scene of this happening, it is never confirmed whether it does as we ambiguously end the film back in the Kims tiny basement apartment and Ki-woo writing the letter. She gains the upper hand with Mrs. Park by feigning extreme expertise and confidence, and insisting on very specific ways to educate and take care of Da-song. capture a large family group in a single frame. Ki-woo cant seem to let go of the decorative rock, a symbol of his constant yearning for stability. 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. 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. Why he trusts Kim Ki-woo given what we know and learn about him is a valid question. He even tells Ki-woo that the best plan is to have no plan, because then you will never be disappointed when the plan doesnt play out the way you wanted it. But theres this: In a screenplay, characters exist for a reason. There are plenty of examples of subtle foreshadowing all throughout this opening act that circle back around by the end of the film. As their house party goes on and the rain pours down relentlessly, the doorbell suddenly rings its the old housekeeper that Mrs Kim had displaced. For a full deep-dive analysis into how the themes of Parasite were previously tackled in Bong Joon-hos other films, check out this video essay on the subject: The Kim family may be below the Parks in status, but even they can look down on Moon-gwang and her husband. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. Challenge finding a way out of family's misfortune. 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. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. as Ki-woo ( Ki-taek's son ), Park So-dam It is the only common factor between the Parks' young boy and Ki-Woo. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. Each family has a symbiotic relationship with one another; the Parks need their employees to keep their house and family up and running, and the Kims and Moon-kwangs family leech off the wealth of the Parks. What an astute observation for a young child, and this was such a key detail to throw in. The family lives in a garden unit where they struggle finding a Wi-Fi signal to sneak into in order to get . For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here. as Chung-sook ( Ki-taek's wife ), Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Feted at SBIFF 2023, Revisiting Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Tragically Common: Jamie Dack, Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker on Palm Trees and Power Lines. 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. Its a conversation starter in ways we only get a few times a year, and further reminder that Bong Joon-ho is one of the best filmmakers working today. The neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a free fumigation for his house. When Ki-taek throws the keys, they land under Geun-sae, who is fighting with Chung-sook. 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. moon-gwang's husband. The family also laments that the rich are only nice because money is like an iron it irons out all the creases in your life, making life smooth and untainted. Moon-Gwang has been living in the mansion as the architect's housekeeper since it was first built. This secret basement reveals an even lower level of status below what we had thought was the floor with the Kim family. 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. Ki-Jung's family was much better off in her childhood when her father owned a cake shop. 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. As mentioned, the film contains a huge, exciting twist that drives the plot ahead at full speed, so do yourself a favour and DONT spoil it for yourself! 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. The family seems to be a tight-knit, supportive group. 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 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. Mr and Mrs Park make themselves comfortable on the couch as our protagonists nervously wait for an opportunity to sneak out. BEWARE OF SPOILERS. The entire Kim family, beginning with Ki-woo, soon scam their way into different jobs for the Park family. They take the affluent home as their own while the Parks are away and thats when Moon-gwang shows back up and everything changes. Official Screenwriting Blog of The Black List. 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. 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. A short but impactful conversation with Yeon-Kyo (Mrs. Park) was all it took for Ki-Jung to secure the art tutor job for the Park family's young son. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family live on the edge of poverty. 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. Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han, story by Bong Joon Ho. 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