The topic of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a clear fascination with. 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. director Bong Joon-hos insightful and engaging comedy/thriller became one of the most talked-about films of the year and set a new precedent for the mark a South Korean movie can leave on United States movie-going audiences. When you move up the ladder, someone else has to be displaced. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. When he is given the opportunity to work as Mr. Park's driver, he figures out how to be the best driver he can be, and to provide some light companionship to Mr. Park. More importantly, his failure to dispose of Geun-sae with the rock eventually proves to be not only his undoing but both the Park and Kim families alike. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. And what do we do when we see an actual masterpiece in this era of critics crying wolf? He almost outs the Kim family on their scheme when he realizes that both Ki-taek and Chung-sook smell the same. After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this weeks script: Parasite. His thoughtless comments were slowly building up resentment in Mr Kim, and further amplified the divide between the two families. Ki-jung gets the job after impressing Mrs. Park with some pseudo insights about psychology, and Mrs. Park hires her as both a tutor and an art therapist. 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. Over the course of a few pulse-quickening scenes, and unbeknown to the Parks, Chung-sook critically injures Moon-gwang by pushing her down the stairs, and Ki-taek traps Geun-se in the bunker. In this scene, Ki-jeong cuts her finger on a piece off glass as shes sweeping them under the couch. Challenge getting through his family's bad luck. When Ki-woo goes into the basement, Geun-sae attacks him and bludgeons him in the head with the rock. For a moment, it seems as though the jig is up for the Kims as Mr Park is suspicious about the entire situation, but he foolishly chalks up the forgotten panties as a result of the chauffeur taking illegal drugs. 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. Its revealed that as Mr Kim escapes the house, he realises where he must go back into the house, into the bunker, to hide out for the remainder of his life. These steps are involved in many of the films pivotal moments, including those in the gruesome final act. 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. Husband! as they descend into the depths of the bunker also do nothing to alleviate the building tension as we shockingly discover that her husband is in fact a mole person hiding and living right under the Parks noses and supplied food by Moon-kwang regularly, who even worships Mr Park for providing him with food and accommodation. A third leads to the upper floor of the Parks stylish home. Mr Kim is the most nonchalant about their misfortunes, even as their house is flooded, leaving the Kims homeless. It's all fun and games until Moon-gwang shows up, insisting that she left something at the house. Mr Kims face as he picks up the tissue stained with blood from the dustbin. 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 film begins with the Kim family at home in their tiny, cramped basement apartment. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ 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. Plot Summary: All unemployed, Ki-taek and his family take peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks, as they ingratiate themselves into their lives and get entangled in an unexpected incident. It is a rather short-sighted one on his part because not only does Ki-woo end up pursuing Da-hye, but he ruins any possible opportunity to tutor for the Park family again. More books than SparkNotes. To download a PDF of the breakdown for Parasite, go here. Ki-jeong, Ki-woos sister, is the main brain behind the scam operation that brings in the rest of her family into the Park residence. ki-woo's sister, smart and tough, gains the upper hand with mrs. park by expressing expertise and confidence, says she . Yeon-Kyo enjoys a calm and relaxing life in the mansion. Moon-kwang eventually succumbs to a concussion, leading to her husband desperately smashing his head into the light switches in the bunker to signal Help me in Morse code. Well be taking a look at all of the ingredients to made Parasite one of the best films of 2019 and one of the best South Korean films ever made, but first, lets get started with a Parasite synopsis. This paper aims to study the gap between the rich and poor reflected in movie Parasite. 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. Here are our rankings of the most intelligent and least intelligent characters. The emotionally-affecting resonance of the ending is the perfect cap to the wonderfully layered social commentary spread throughout the film. He works as a list writer for Valnet, Inc. covering Screen Rant. 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. Their credentials were just as questionable as hers were. 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. Characters from Parasite (2019). Each character inParasiteis unique, but they definitely differ in levels of intelligence. Now he leads a pleasant life in the mansion with his wife Yeon-Kyo and two children. Why he trusts Kim Ki-woo given what we know and learn about him is a valid question. In contrast to her brother Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung is too well-grounded to look for a potential love interest. However, to qualify for the job, Ki-Woo must forge his identity from a man in his mid-20s with no formal education to a student studying business at an elite university. On to the in-depth analysis! A tonal shift this extreme could easily take viewers out of the film or feel like a jumping-the-shark moment, but in the hands of Bong Joon-ho, this shift is portrayed in a way that not only feels effortless but greatly enhances each half of the film that preceded and follows it. Bong Joon-ho displays a mastery over genres and tones with this mid-point shift. What is the movie Parasite about? has many answers. What ensues from this point on is a chaotic, discordant frenzy, where the tension set from the moment we discover the hidden bunker never eases. The patriarch of the Kim family. For more Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho creates meaning through set dressing. Ki-jung begins working for the parks under the guise of an art-therapy teacher. After their home is flooded, Ki-taek tells his son that it is best to never have a plan, since plans never work out the way one expects. And every single element of the film from the scholars stone, to the architecture of the homes, to the very names of the families all contribute to this central theme. The crimes of Moon-kwang and her husband are obvious too, leeching off the Park familys wealth to harbour the husband in the house, and threatening to out the Kims for their scam despite their own complicity. GradeSaver, 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite. Its at this stage that the film makes you realise that no matter how low on the ladder of destitution the Kim family was (before they got employed by the Parks), there is always someone on the rung below you. After expressing some doubt at the lies he would have to sell to land the tutoring gig, Ki-woo enlists the help of the artistic Ki-jeong to forge university papers for him in order to land the job. Unpacking the metaphorical ending of Parasite, See how this cruelty-free circus replaced animals with holograms, Windows 11 update brings Bings chatbot to the desktop. And by the time she's left the Park family home, she is already making her next play by taking off her underwear and hiding them discreetly, but not so discreet that they can't be found by Dong-ik. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here. Through the analysis of the audio-visual language of the movie, this article starts with the storytelling of Parasite, enumerates and analyses the elements that appear in the movie to reflect the gap between the rich and poor. The main themes are capitalism, deception, and violence. She calls Chung-sook sister, at which the Kims scoff. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal 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. 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. 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. 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. How could they possibly compare to a couple leeching off the Parks like this? Follow along with the Parasite script as StudioBinder is used to recreate what the actual script breakdown may have looked like. As the night wears on, the Kims manage to escape, running through the torrential downpour to reach their basement apartment in the slums. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. Both parties have dark secrets, and both threaten to expose the other to the Park family, who remain above all the drama, currently unaware. Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. A highlight of the film for me that cannot go uncredited was the music and score. Its evident that the Kim family lives in squalor. The first half of Parasite plays out largely as a comedy-drama with a compelling narrative and thought-provoking themes. Character Analysis. The crime of the Park family is being unsympathetic, rude and selfish, despite their niceties and naivety. RELATED: 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone). I had my doubts over who the one would be, but it seems to be Mr Kim. Thats all I can say without giving away major spoilers! Grew up as an art student at a middle-class family. The only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. Yes, he receives help from Ki-jeong and Ki-woo with the peaches, but he is the one who must do the talking afterward. They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. The rest of the Kims scramble to clean up the mess they had made, sweeping everything under the couch and hiding under the living room table. 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. For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here. Maybe its the crazy eyes, the receding hairline, the fact that he manually presses buttons on the bunker wall to turn on individual lights on the entrance staircase into the house (to show his gratitude towards Mr Park for providing for him, but giving the Parks the impression that the lights at the staircase were always sensor lights), or just plainly the fact that hes a fucking mole person hiding out in someones house. 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. Moon-kwang herself is a suspicious character; she must definitely be unhappy with Mrs Kim for being her replacement (although shes unaware that it was due to the Kims meddling that got her fired), but why did she have to visit the house on, of all nights, the night that it was raining cats and dogs? The visual effects Stick with me here. 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. Trying to make long term plans for him to eventually marry Da-hye are laughed off by his family. At the party, Da-song falls into another seizure upon the sight of Moon-kwangs husbands bloodied face (from when he tried to signal Help me through the light switches), and the Park family summon Mr Kim to drive Da-song to the hospital while Ki-jeong bleeds out on the lawn and Mr Kim attempts to stop the bleeding. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. It is the only common factor between the Parks' young boy and Ki-Woo. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. Acting on impulse, Ki-woo heads to a mountain near the house the Parks have since vacated, and which now belongs to a rich German family. Kim's familywill be reminded of that chasm and the cruelty of inequity in ways you couldnt possibly predict. Realizing that they are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the Parks. And, if you would like a deep-dive into the inner workings of the screenplay, be sure to read our Parasite script teardown. We even learn that Moon-kwangs husband, like Mr Kim, also had a failed business venture in a cake shop. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. Of the Kim family members, she is the most talented scammer. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. The Kims return to find that their apartment has flooded with sewage water and try to rescue whatever valuables they can, including the fortune rock gifted to Ki-woo. Soon enough, Ki-woo and Ki-taek secure positions in the Park household for their parents as well. He also does a great job in coaching his father's performance for Yeon-gyo so that she will get rid of Moon-gwang. Her charismatic personality makes her excellent at fooling the Parks. Here, the director drags out the scenes of the Kim family running, down, down, down several flights of stairs to reach their neighbourhood. Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. He is traumatised not once, but twice at the sight of Moon-kwangs husband, and is also the youngest and most innocent character. The Kim family moves in for the weekend and luxuriates. Mrs. Park is a beautiful, wealthy, and ditzy head-of-household who prides herself on not being able to do domestic chores. 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