Parasite: A Thrilling Twist on Socioeconomic Struggles
Every so often, a new movie comes out that captures the attention of both the general public and niche communities. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the 2019 Korean film “Parasite” became an unexpected addition to almost every mainstream movie reviewer’s Top Ten Films of the Decade list. “Parasite’ was awarded six Oscar nominations and an eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival along with its Palme d’Or.
Bong was certainly correct when he stated that those who “overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles… will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
Parasite is best viewed if you have a few days free for contemplation afterwards. Prior to watching the film, I assumed it would be a horror movie; its eerie theatrical posters all depicted a middle-aged man with his eyes marked off in jet black. Truthfully, the horror aspects are still there, but Parasite ultimately presents itself as a psychological thriller—a film which cements its message in audience members’ minds for weeks to come.
The film blends in phenomenal music with soulful acting and beautiful cinematography, all while keeping a logical, thought-provoking storyline. The film kicks off with the Kims, a family of four living in a basement apartment. Over the first half of the movie, the Kims’ family dynamics play out as they find jobs working for the Park family, each Kim member posing as a worker for the beautiful yet absent-minded Mrs. Park, whose husband is consistently away for work.
Both hysterical and mundane, the first half of the movie plays out one scene after another, featuring the Kim family’s antics in utilizing the Parks’ wealth as they work at the Park mansion. It would be fair to call the first hour of Parasite one of the best montages in cinematic history—each small action of every Kim member evokes a flurry of laughter from the audience.
It is the careful planning of the first half that makes the fateful twist in Parasite even better. From the start, the audience is introduced to a poverty-stricken family looking for ways out of their basement apartment, with its bad WiFi and the man who urinates outside their windows every other night.
Additionally, viewers are invited to explore the thought processes of the Kim family: the abrasive yet caring father Ki-taek, the scolding mother Chung-sook, the ambitious, hedonistic son Ki-woo and the brilliant con artist daughter Ki-jeong. Until the plot twist, we are rooting for the Kim family in their antics to exploit the Park family’s wealth, blissfully unaware of the creeping storyline.
Parasite’s twist is what solidifies its status as a masterpiece. Through revealing the secrets of the Park’s artistic mansion, Parasite punches the audience in the face with it's overarching message: “good” and “bad” people don’t exist when it comes to socioeconomic class.
Some may criticize Mr. Park’s elitist manners whenever he talks to Mr. Kim, but the audience is also shown the morally questionable sides of the lower-class families; the film conveys that those in poverty are more likely to go against each other rather than facing the ones on a higher socioeconomic level.
Parasite explores the bare bones of humanity—the struggles and outright irrationality that can occur under dire circumstances—and it does so without ignoring the moments of joy. Bong never neglects the nuanced banter between members of the Kim family, even in moments of action.
Although the Park family received less development, their two children’s lives are explored in ways that aren’t brushed aside as merely ‘blissfully ignorant’ or ‘spoiled.’ Without these smaller, more subtle developmental moments, Parasite’s most climactic scenes would not have been as moving as they were.
Parasite is a movie crafted with much care. Those who filmed, acted and composed for it collectively built the lives of the Kims and Parks meticulously. Weeks after exiting the movie theater, the characters and their humanity refuse to leave my mind.