In “Parasite,” a South Korean black comedy thriller written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, four families welcome a mysterious group of uninvited guests into their home. Initially, the family is relieved to have been saved by these well-dressed and polite individuals, who claim they have traveled across the country to save them from ruin. However, it gradually becomes clear that this new group’s true motives are not what they seem. This film has divided critics – some are impressed with its biting satire and inventive visual style, while others criticize its familiarity and lack of compelling twists.
“Parasite” revolves around a family of four living in Seoul. The father, Sang-hoon (Lee Byung-hun), works as a figurine maker at an amusement park and the mother, Gong-sook (Kim Yun-Seok), is an actress. They have two daughters, Hong-sook (Moon Chae-won) and Dong-woo (Yoon Jeong-soo). While attending a party one night, Hong-sook spots a handsome young man with an unusual cough (Joon-ho).
A few days later, she learns that this man is Sang-hoon’s college friend, Ki-Tae (Choi Woo-Shik), and finds herself surprisingly taken with him. He shows up at a family dinner at their house to meet her parents and the children. However, Ki-Tae has a secret: he’s carrying a parasite. After the meal, the family becomes violently ill but cannot remember anything that night. The film jumps forward six years later. Hong-sook is now in a relationship with Ki-Tae, and they have a son named Hyung (Ryu Jun-Yeol). Gong-sook has become an alcoholic as she blames herself for her family’s illness.
One of the major themes of the film is “family.” It involves the family dynamics of Sang-hoon, Gong-sook, Hong-sook, and Hyung. When Sang-hoon works in the amusement park, the parents have already broken apart, and Gong-sook becomes an alcoholic lifestyle. Before his departure, Sang-hoon doesn’t tell them what he’s doing; but they don’t seem to care when they find out a few years later.
During this time, some strange people come around their house claiming that they’ve been sent by Ki-Tae’s brother (the same one who died in a car accident) to take over their lives. The two daughters also notice something strange about their mother’s behavior (Joon-ho). At the same time, Sang-hoon finds himself a pawn in a giant game as he is used to repaying his family’s debt. The only one who comes through for the family is Ki-Tae, who goes so far as to sell his body for money and even uses his house as collateral to meet Hong-sook’s demands.
“Parasite” has been described as a satire on Korea’s hierarchical corporate culture, which subject’s workers to bosses who may be unqualified but have risen through the social hierarchy because they are wealthy or related by marriage. The title, “parasite,” refers to how wealthy people enter or attach themselves to wealthier families and leverage their position for profit. In a scene, Ki-Tae’s brother tells Ki-tae that he doesn’t even have his own family because he is a parasite who relies on his father’s family name. Ki-Tae’s parasitic relationship with Sang-hoon and his family has the same characteristics as “the master and the disciple.” Despite this, Sang-hoon willingly becomes a servant to Ki-tae, knowing that he can rely on him if needed.
The language in the film is often described as “over-the-top” and “grandiose.” The conversations that Sang-hoon, Ki-tae, and the other characters have all seem to be heavily influenced by the language used in Korea’s corporate culture. This satirical element is best exemplified when Sang-hoon’s boss at the factory makes a business deal with Ki-Tae’s father. The boss uses phrases that many business people in Korea would use to make it go through. “I wouldn’t move so much” is a common phrase meaning that a deal is moving ahead prematurely, but no one wants to discuss the matter further.
Finally, in terms of style and cinematography, director Bong Joon-ho wanted to bring the visual impact of Tarantino’s style to his film. He said: “Tarantino’s movies are very darkly humorous; they have black humor and irony, with horrific violence. So I wanted to do something with a more naturalistic feel, relying less on visual effects and stylistic devices.”
Work Cited
MLA. Ho, Bong Joon. Parasite. Neon, 2019
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