akagi1945
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Some call it a black comedy presented as a family drama, others a satire on the division of social classes. Just as so many modern folks are keen to stray away from labels, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019) masterfully creates a work of film that is innovative, yet familiar. With the introduction of a melodrama, the rising action of a thriller, the climax of a tragedy, and the falling action of a crime film, Parasite effortlessly merges an array of genres to create a novel experience, marked by clever twists and surprises, for its unsuspecting viewers.
To refresh some memories, the premise of the film goes like this: The Kims is a lower-class family—which consists of teenage son Kim Ki-woo, 20 something year-old daughter Kim Ki-jung, and their parents—living in a crowded and poorly furnished complex that is halfway underground. Their daily routine involves folding and selling pizza boxes, trying to use the WI-FI of the local coffee shop and witnessing the unsightly behaviors of a drunk man. The family’s fate takes a sharp turn when Kim Ki-woo’s friend recommends the teen to work as a tutor for the daughter of the affluent Park family.
In a series of perfectly executed plans, the Kims swiftly yet naturally immerse themselves into the Park household through a domino effect: Kim Ki-woo timely suggests “Jessica,” his sister Kim Ki-jung, to become the art teacher of the Park’s youngest child. “Jessica” then frames the Park’s personal driver into getting fired and recommends her father as a substitute. Ultimately, the Kims work together to get rid of the Park’s nanny, bringing mama Kim on board as the new one.
The Kims then enjoy a short-lived moment of peace before a startling revelation shatters their hopes of claiming the Parks' home as their own. It is revealed that the original nanny has been hiding her husband in a secret bunker under the house for the past four years.
Realizing that there exists even poorer people (both financially and socially) doing essentially what they are doing themselves, secretly feeding off of the rich as a means of survival, the Parks ironically attempt to fight against the two “outsiders” to protect their newfound life. This turn of events raises the question of whether individuals, regardless of their social status, can truly be generous to people from a more difficult position in the face of an event that threatens their own sense of stability. Yes, the Kims sympathize with the nanny and her husband, but this sympathy turns out to be insufficient for them to justify sacrificing themselves. Comparably, the Parks are friendly and compassionate with the Kims, but they become bitter and whiny when something as trivial as a bad smell disturbs their heaven of cleanliness.
From this perspective, it is interesting to note that Parasite does not paint the poor or the rich as caricatures of good and evil. Starting from the top, while the Parks are often negligent to the struggles of others and are ignorant to their privileges, they are not inherently bad people. As father Kim says, “the Park children’s mother is a kind and generous woman”, to which mother Kim notably replies, “If I were this rich, I would also be kind.” Just like the Kims, the Parks also value their family deeply and place a strong emphasis on educating their children. Nevertheless, behind this veil of perfection, the Parks can be seen as selfish because from the bottom of their hearts, they do not actually care about the poor and this becomes especially true when the impoverished pose a risk to their comfort.
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not seen this film, please (with a cherry on top) do not read beyond this point!!
Gift yourself the experience of enjoying this legend of a movie. You deserve it.
To refresh some memories, the premise of the film goes like this: The Kims is a lower-class family—which consists of teenage son Kim Ki-woo, 20 something year-old daughter Kim Ki-jung, and their parents—living in a crowded and poorly furnished complex that is halfway underground. Their daily routine involves folding and selling pizza boxes, trying to use the WI-FI of the local coffee shop and witnessing the unsightly behaviors of a drunk man. The family’s fate takes a sharp turn when Kim Ki-woo’s friend recommends the teen to work as a tutor for the daughter of the affluent Park family.
In a series of perfectly executed plans, the Kims swiftly yet naturally immerse themselves into the Park household through a domino effect: Kim Ki-woo timely suggests “Jessica,” his sister Kim Ki-jung, to become the art teacher of the Park’s youngest child. “Jessica” then frames the Park’s personal driver into getting fired and recommends her father as a substitute. Ultimately, the Kims work together to get rid of the Park’s nanny, bringing mama Kim on board as the new one.
The Kims then enjoy a short-lived moment of peace before a startling revelation shatters their hopes of claiming the Parks' home as their own. It is revealed that the original nanny has been hiding her husband in a secret bunker under the house for the past four years.
Realizing that there exists even poorer people (both financially and socially) doing essentially what they are doing themselves, secretly feeding off of the rich as a means of survival, the Parks ironically attempt to fight against the two “outsiders” to protect their newfound life. This turn of events raises the question of whether individuals, regardless of their social status, can truly be generous to people from a more difficult position in the face of an event that threatens their own sense of stability. Yes, the Kims sympathize with the nanny and her husband, but this sympathy turns out to be insufficient for them to justify sacrificing themselves. Comparably, the Parks are friendly and compassionate with the Kims, but they become bitter and whiny when something as trivial as a bad smell disturbs their heaven of cleanliness.
From this perspective, it is interesting to note that Parasite does not paint the poor or the rich as caricatures of good and evil. Starting from the top, while the Parks are often negligent to the struggles of others and are ignorant to their privileges, they are not inherently bad people. As father Kim says, “the Park children’s mother is a kind and generous woman”, to which mother Kim notably replies, “If I were this rich, I would also be kind.” Just like the Kims, the Parks also value their family deeply and place a strong emphasis on educating their children. Nevertheless, behind this veil of perfection, the Parks can be seen as selfish because from the bottom of their hearts, they do not actually care about the poor and this becomes especially true when the impoverished pose a risk to their comfort.