parasite character analysis
The operatic music and effects when Mrs Park spotted Moon-kwang coughing into a tissue as she ascends the stairs into the house. Although Ki-Woo lacks the charisma his sister Ki-Jung exhibits, Ki-Woo is an excellent scammer. The smell won't go away unless we leave this place.". A major plot driving interaction arrives in the form of Ki-woos friend, who gifts an ornamental rock to the Kim family that can supposedly deliver wealth, and also offers Ki-woo his job as an English tutor for the Park familys daughter as hes travelling overseas. Mr Kims face as he picks up the tissue stained with blood from the dustbin. This secret basement reveals an even lower level of status below what we had thought was the floor with the Kim family. He spoils his son and is rather alienated from his desires and happiness. Parasite exploded this past weekend on Oscar night when it became the first international film to win four Academy Awards, including the coup de grace, Best Picture. 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. It is his success in passing as a competent English tutor that allows him to invite Ki-jeong into the home and so on. Its perfectly ironic how the film has come full circle, with Mr Kim taking the place of Moon-kwangs husband in the bunker. After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. You would have never expected that the spacious, minimalist living room would having sufficient hiding spots for the Kim family, but they make do, truly living up to the cockroach analogy used by Mrs Kim earlier on as the Kims scatter and hide at the first sign of danger. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. Grabbing the knife Geun-se wielded, Ki-taek stabs Mr. Park and runs away. Ki-woo visits the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park. Ki-woo is what really gets the Kim family through the Park family's door. RELATED: 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone). The films score here perfectly uses the technique of moving up musical keys in non-linear, minor and discordant chords to instill fear and anxiety in the viewer as Moon-kwang and Mrs Kim descend down endless flights of concrete stairs, turning left and right at every corner to finally reach the bunker below. However, she makes a grave mistake by letting Moon-gwang back into the Park family home, thereby unleashing a Pandora's box she can't close. son of kim family, smart and ambitious, feels held back by poverty, has good intentions even if he has to be dishonest, wants to create a better life for his family. They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. Personality driven and flexible. Parasite was not just the first South Korean film to win the foreign language prize at the Oscars but also the first foreign language film from any country to win the overall best picture prize. Bong shows us this vision: Ki-taek ascends the bunker stairs and embraces his son. He soon discovers, however, that Mr. Park does not like his smell, and feels deflated by this insult. The article breaks down how to identify and breakdown set elements in a screenplay. Im someone who doesnt mind spoilers, but even I wouldnt wish the spoilers on my worse enemy. Just trust me on this one. 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. 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. 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. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? Relationship Status involved with his student Da-Hye. As Moon-kwangs husband and Mrs Kim struggle, Mrs Kim manages to stab Moon-kwangs husband through the abdomen with a skewer. 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. Mr Parks arrogance and distaste for the smell becomes his downfall. In our Parasite movie analysis, we found that although the tone and style change, the themes at play remain consistent from the first half to the second half, and continue to be developed further as the film progresses. However, things went downhill from there. In truth, Ki-Jung never received any college art education, but she now claims to be a graduate of the University of Illinois and a specialist in children's art therapy, working at a special pay rate. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. Mr Kim is eventually condemned to live and hide in the bunker, truly fulfilling the parasite-like behaviour of leeching of its host at someone elses expense. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Her charismatic personality makes her excellent at fooling the Parks. 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. He fatally wounds Ki-jeong, stabbing her through the chest as the party guests erupt into panic and scatter. I was disappointed to find that not many people had done an in-depth analysis on the film, but thats what Im here for! Its both a literal and metaphorical depiction of just how far removed the Park family and Kim familys circumstances are, and how far down the class divide the Kim family are from the Parks. Ex-housekeeper Moon-kwang claims that she had left something important behind in the basement and was there to collect it. Cockroaches and insects are seen around the house, and at some point, Mr Kim even flicks a stink bug off the table, foreshadowing a larger plot point further on. 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. Profession English tutor. 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. Parasite has a lot worthy of analysis and it has a lot to say. Staircases are among the many things in Parasite that could be considered metaphorical, as becomes a refrain of the Kims son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo Shik). Grew up as an art student at a middle-class family. 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. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. 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. 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. Can the poor really just step into the world of the rich? To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. On his birthday, a day like today, he had snuck down to the kitchen to eat his birthday cake, but Moon-kwangs husband had snuck up the basement stairs and made eye contact with Da-song. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". He almost outs the Kim family on their scheme when he realizes that both Ki-taek and Chung-sook smell the same. account. 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. Ki-woo cant seem to let go of the decorative rock, a symbol of his constant yearning for stability. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. 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. Presented with the opportunity to tutor the Parks teenage daughter at the beginning of the film, he recruits his sister, Ki-jung (Park So Dam), father, Ki-taek (Song Kang Ho), and mother, Chung-sook (Chang Hyae Jin), to masquerade as unrelated workers so they can oust the Parks current help, infiltrate the household and take advantage of the familys surplus wealth. Parasite is a South Korean movie from 2019 filled with numerous themes, all being the fault of a patriarchal and hierarchical society we have created. Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. Parasite concludes where it begins, in the semi-basement apartment. Scott Myers 41K Followers Follow More from Medium Scott Myers in Go Into The Story Mrs Kim taking advantage of the open lawn to practice her hammer-throw skills, at the expense of someones window. Equally impressive was Parasite becoming the first South Korean movie to win the Palme dOr, which is the top prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here. 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. He has always been fascinated by pop culture and film. 31 Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Grew up. He also meets Da-hye, the flirtatious teenager he will be tutoring, and Da-song, her younger brother, for whom Mrs. Park is trying to find an art tutor. Mr Kim, tasked with managing Moon-kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the basement bunker. What ensues is a sneaky ploy on the Kim familys part to slowly insert themselves into the lives (and house) of the Park family as they attempt to build a better life for themselves. She is seamless in her execution and rarely makes a misstep. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. 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 Parasite tells a story about disparate families, but also about disparate social classes, who are scrambling in a society that doesn't set them up to be protagonists and by default, pushes . 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. Yes, it wouldn't have taken as much skill as she demonstrated to convince Yeon-gyo to be Da-song's new art therapist, but she plays the part so well that it positions her charge an exorbitant sum of money. She is easily deceived by Ki-jeong's framing of the Park family chauffeur as explained by Dong-ik. Theres something off about Moon-kwangs unnamed husband. Ki-jeong is not only the brains in the family who sets the entire scam operation in motion, she is also pegged by Ki-woo the most likely to succeed in her family as he mentions that Ki-jeong fits in the best at the Parks residence, hinting at her potential for success, but perhaps also foreshadowing her death on the residence grounds. The Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks. He's pretty checked out as to what's going on in his home until it's ready to smack him in the face. In this scene, Ki-jeong cuts her finger on a piece off glass as shes sweeping them under the couch. Ki-Jung's family was much better off in her childhood when her father owned a cake shop. In the good ol' days, her husband Ki-Taek owned a chicken shack, then a Taiwanese Castella shop. Chung-sook takes over as the housekeeper. 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. 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. When Moon-gwang tries to ascend the stairs and reveal herself, Chung-sook kicks her down, concussing and killing her. Profession stay-at-home housekeeper. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. Synopsis. I left the cinema around 2am reeling and shookt, and was still desperately Googling and researching for the films reviews and analyses two hours later. Ki-woo wakes up in the hospital and learns about what happens. The film is obviously a social commentary on the class divide in South Korea, but its so much more than that. When Da-song wants to sleep in a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park sleep on the couch to watch over him. All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident. "Parasite" is a marvelously entertaining film in terms of narrative, but theres also so much going on underneath about how the rich use the poor to survive in ways that I cant completely spoil here (the best writing about this movie will likely come after its released). At every point, the viewer understands whose perspective were supposed to follow due to the tracking shots as we move with each character. 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. 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. The contrast in appearance between the Kims semi-basement home and the lavish home of the Park family is impossible to miss. The only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. The film centers on two families, one poor and one rich and the interactions between them that end explosively. Chung-sook, the Kim family matriarch, not only knows how to be a good housekeeper but also knows when to call her family members out when they're full of it. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family live on the edge of poverty. The record-setting trend continued for the Parasite film. 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. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Parasite 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. The Question and Answer section for Parasite is a great Parasite Analysis: Navigating the Shift At its exact mid-point, Parasite undergoes a massive tonal shift. Stay up to date on the news from Silicon Valley, and how to take back control of your data and devices. It is the only way Ki-Jung relieves her stress from the reality. Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, "I dont consider this a crime. For some Parasite movie analysis straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene breakdown from Bong Joon-ho. Living in a state-of-art mansion. "Parasite" is a film that follows 10 main characters up close (8 of whom are shown below - the other two are not shown for obvious reasons which will become apparent after you have witnessed the movie) with 10 different "characteristics" that need to be captured in the frame - the looks, the personality, the deep pathos that oozes from each character's situation and by giving us . He works as a list writer for Valnet, Inc. covering Screen Rant. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. The wide panning shots do great in conveying a sense of space in the large Park residence, and sequence shots make the viewer feel as though they are there with the characters, watching their lives unfold. 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