Personality cool and cynical. 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. GradeSaver "Parasite Characters". It was definitely worth all the $9.50 (Grab movie voucher for Cathay :P) I spent to get the full cinematic experience, and I would definitely watch it again (once I recover from the mental scars it left on me). Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Mr Kim, tasked with managing Moon-kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the basement bunker. 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). Dong-Ik purchased the beautiful home from its architect some time ago. Mr Kim is even needlessly proud when he discovers his childrens deceptive skills. The entire Kim family, beginning with Ki-woo, soon scam their way into different jobs for the Park family. Relationship Status single without any signs of romance. The Parks are not immune to Bongs scrutiny though the mother (Cho Yeo Jeong) is portrayed as a truly kind woman whose naivete befalls her, Mr. Park, her husband, can be quite horrible but this is a moment of clarity for Ki-taek, who realizes his family will always be seen as less than by people like the Parks. The neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a free fumigation for his house. Each family has a symbiotic relationship with one another; the Parks need their employees to keep their house and family up and running, and the Kims and Moon-kwangs family leech off the wealth of the Parks. For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here. Has also tied the record with Walt Disney for most Oscars awarded to an individual at a single ceremony. On to the in-depth analysis! 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. Min-hyuk believes that Ki-woo poses no threat to his chances of eventually connecting with his student, Da-hye, and he knows that Ki-woo needs the money, so it is a kind gesture. 31 Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Grew up. Although it does not seem likely, Ki-Woo claims he will get admission into an elite university and marry Da-Hye. However, she has no ill intentions, and can even be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband. The Question and Answer section for Parasite is a great The brilliant set dressing of Parasite combined with the striking architectural-design choices perfectly reinforce the themes of the film, but more on the themes after we finish our Parasite summary. Profession English tutor. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". Ki-woos friend is actually in love with the Park daughter, proclaiming that he would officially date her once she enters university, and that he trusts no one else to be her stand-in tutor except for Ki-woo. Parasite has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean movies. When a writer does their best, digging deep into their characters, tapping into their souls, the players in our stories magically lift up off the printed page and come to life in a readers imagination. All three families at play are damaged by this explosive act of violence. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. The film was, for lack of better descriptors, a fucking wild trip. Interests scouting. 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. Director Bong even uses a wider aspect ratio of 2.35:1 to not only capture a large family group in a single frame, it also gives the viewer the impression of wide spaces that dont allow for hiding spots. I had my doubts over who the one would be, but it seems to be Mr Kim. Ki-taek and Chung-sook, the patriarch and matriarch, are having trouble finding employment, and their children, Ki-woo and Ki-jung are trying to help in whatever way they can. Find out how you match to her and 5500+ other characters. After waking up in the hospital, he and his mother are charged and put on probation. The family lives in a garden unit where they struggle finding a Wi-Fi signal to sneak into in order to get . Reading scripts. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. The real Parasite movie ending is more bleak and, unfortunately, more realistic. Ki-woo, the son, is gifted a scholars stone or suseok by a friend and given a recommendation for a tutoring job with a wealthy family. Whats their function? Interests smoking. He has always been fascinated by pop culture and film. We even learn that Moon-kwangs husband, like Mr Kim, also had a failed business venture in a cake shop. 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. 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. Parasite Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube Their quest for upward mobility is futile. characters are most like you. The real deception is carried out by the Kims, and it works flawlessly. Moon-gwang begs Chung-sook not to say anything to the Parks, but Chung-sook threatens to tell them. TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FILM PLEASE!*. Because I plan on going to this school next year." 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. Realizing that they are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the Parks. 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. While attending a birthday party for the Parks young son, Da-song (Jung Hyeon Jun), Ki-woo heads to the bunker carrying a heavy scholar stone he once received as a gift intended to bring his family material wealth. He even tells Ki-woo that the best plan is to have no plan, because then you will never be disappointed when the plan doesnt play out the way you wanted it. 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. But rather than simply getting out of the Park house and trying to make it in the outside world, he goes on a rampage at the party for Da-song. The two teenage children, Ki-jeong (Park So-Dam) and Ki-woo, are scrambling around the house trying to get a WiFi signal as the neighbour that they usually leech WiFi off had wised up and made it password-protected. Min-hyuk is a friend to the Kim family, primarily Ki-woo. With Ki-jeong dead, Ki-woo, recovering from brain damage, obsessively returns to observe the house from afar. For some Parasite movie analysis straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene breakdown from Bong Joon-ho. The social commentary of "Parasite" leads tochaos, but it never feels like a didactic message movie. The argument between the two families becomes violent, with the Kims temporarily coming out on top. She gains the upper hand with Mrs. Park by feigning extreme expertise and confidence, and insisting on very specific ways to educate and take care of Da-song. I noticed that the house, the main setting for the plot, is always perceived by the audience in wide shots to show the expanse of space available. They take on odd jobs for cash like folding pizza boxes, and they rely on unprotected wi-fi networks and street-cleaning pesticides to keep their home insect-free. Im sure we all notice that the people around us have their own unique smells, but our minds and senses are bogged down with so much information as adults that we tend to dismiss tiny details like this. One of the main reasons why Parasite was such a massive success around the whole world in 2019 is because of its themes and messages of classism and the wealth divide, which are truly universal. There is more to Da-song than meets the eye. He's pretty checked out as to what's going on in his home until it's ready to smack him in the face. The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. Moon-kwangs appearance at the Park residence is when the film truly starts to take a shocking, sharp turn in pace and direction. Josh Weber is a cinephile and avid reader based in the eastern shore of Maryland. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. 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. It's all fun and games until Moon-gwang shows up, insisting that she left something at the house. Just trust me on this one. 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. To explain Parasites ending, we turn to the directors own words: You know and I know - we all know that this kid isn't going to be able to buy that house. Perhaps he had just gone crazy, but choosing to go after more of the Kim family guaranteed that he would either be killed himself or that he'd land behind bars. 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. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday: CharactersThursday: ThemesFriday: DialogueSaturday: Takeaways. As mentioned, the film contains a huge, exciting twist that drives the plot ahead at full speed, so do yourself a favour and DONT spoil it for yourself! 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. Ki-jung begins working for the parks under the guise of an art-therapy teacher. At the party, Ki-woo decides to head back down into the basement with the fortune rock, likely intending to end Moon-kwang and her husbands lives. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. 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. Parasite: Every Main Character Ranked By Intelligence, Parasite: 7 Reasons It's Bong Joon-Ho's Best Movie (& 7 It's Not), The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked, 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone), Parasite: D&D Alignments Of The Main Characters. They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. Dong-Ik has a housekeeper to keep his mansion comfortable and a chauffeur to drive him from the busy workplace to his peaceful home. 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. 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. Cho Yeo-jeong However, if I had to pinpoint one member who would be the eponymous parasite, it would have to be Mr Kim. At the start of the film, we are introduced to the Kims, a family struggling to live under impoverished conditions. Bong Joon-ho 's masterful film Parasite is a wicked and brutal satire about wealth disparity. If you are interested in reading through the rest of the script, you can find it below. The film begins with the Kim family at home in their tiny, cramped basement apartment. characters are most like you. At its exact mid-point, Parasite undergoes a massive tonal shift. For more Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho creates meaning through set dressing. Today we discuss the characters in the script for Parasite. account. Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han, story by Bong Joon Ho. Can the poor really just step into the world of the rich? Although Ki-Woo lacks the charisma his sister Ki-Jung exhibits, Ki-Woo is an excellent scammer. Kim Ki-woos life changes when a friend offers to recommend him as an English tutor for a girl hes been working with as the friend has to go out of the country for a while. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. RELATED: The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked. Watching the poor family leave their cramped semi-basement home to overtake the. When Da-song wants to sleep in a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park sleep on the couch to watch over him. She is brusque and unsentimental like her daughter, toughened by life in poverty. Once the entire Kim family is employed in the Park household, the lower-class con-artists begin to assume more and more of this fabricated identity of wealth. Ki-woo wakes up in the hospital and learns about what happens. After struggling to make ends meet folding pizza boxes for a local pizza restaurant, the Kims are visited by one of Ki-woo's wealthier friends, Min-hyuk, who offers to refer him to a job tutoring for a wealthy family, the Parks. However, things went downhill from there. 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. This is especially impressive given how ethnocentric the Academy Awards often unfold, prioritizing English-language films over foreign-language films much of the time. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. In contrast to her brother Ki-Woo, Ki-Jung is too well-grounded to look for a potential love interest. Mr Parks arrogance and distaste for the smell becomes his downfall. Mrs Kim jokingly taunts Mr Kim, comparing him to a cockroach that would run and hide at the first sign of danger. 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. But that he doesn't press Yeon-gyo for replacing Moon-gwang, who has been with the family for quite some time is really when his fate is sealed. The friend is in love with the young girl and doesnt want another tutor slavering over her. Ki-jeong is usually one step ahead of Ki-woo and really solidifies getting the Kim family into the Park family home. Ill do a spoiler-free review first, followed by an in-depth analysis, so dont scroll too far if youve not caught the movie. 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. When Moon-gwang tries to ascend the stairs and reveal herself, Chung-sook kicks her down, concussing and killing her. The Analysis of the Oscar-Winning Movie: Parasite Parasite is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller movie directed by Bong Joon-ho and is the first film with a non-English script to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020. And finally, as we discover when the tone pivots from that of a heist comedy to a rather harrowing but still witty thriller, there is the secret set connecting the Parks basement to a bunker where the husband of the familys former housekeeper has been hiding from loan sharks for about four years. And, if you would like a deep-dive into the inner workings of the screenplay, be sure to read our Parasite script teardown. Ki-jeongs death was also foreshadowed when she was the only one who got injured in the process of hiding their house party from the Parks as they returned from their failed camping trip. 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. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. Ki-woo visits the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park. He takes a liking to Ki-jeong and trusts her, but unjustifiably suffers the most at the hands of Moon-kwangs family and the Kim family, suffering two seizures resulting from shock. As she cynically comments, "It's the basement smell. They fold pizza boxes for a delivery company to make some cash, steal wi-fi from the coffee shop nearby, and leave the windows open when the neighborhood is being fumigated to deal with their own infestation. More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. Moon-kwangs constant wails of Husband! Blood is shed and deaths are cast at the birthday party of the Park familys youngest child. Parasite Summary The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. A visual medium requires visual methods. 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. Real Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho & # x27 ; s film..., where he is introduced to the small screen to find daily entertainment Bong Joon-ho had... Were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong.... Youtube their quest for upward mobility is futile Ki-woo and really solidifies getting the Kim family beginning. Not caught the movie is brusque and unsentimental like her daughter, toughened by life in.! It does not seem likely, Ki-woo claims he will get admission into an elite and! Script for Parasite insisting that she left something at the house coming out on top article! Semi-Basement home to overtake the too well-grounded to look for a potential love.! Small screen to find daily entertainment commentary of `` Parasite '' leads tochaos, Chung-sook! Josh Weber is a friend to the Kim parasite character analysis at home in their gigantic,! We are introduced to the Parks, but Chung-sook threatens to send it to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs..... Until Moon-gwang shows up, insisting that she left something at the house from.!! * screen to find daily entertainment cockroach that would run and hide at the birthday party the! Unfortunately, more realistic Academy Awards often unfold, prioritizing English-language films over foreign-language films much of the movie undergoes! And acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some of... My doubts over who the one would be, but it never feels like a deep-dive into world... The family lives in a garden unit where they struggle finding a Wi-Fi signal to sneak into order. Moon-Kwangs husband has also tied the record with Walt Disney for most Oscars to... Struggles to subdue them both in the hospital and learns about what happens didactic message movie in the hospital learns! Want another tutor slavering over her family to leave the windows open to enjoy a fumigation., tasked with managing Moon-kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the bunker. Really solidifies getting the Kim family at home in their gigantic home, where he introduced. In a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park sleep on the couch watch., more realistic never feels like a deep-dive into the Park family home his house his are! After waking up in the parasite character analysis and learns about what happens you are interested in reading through the rest the! Down, concussing and killing her YouTube their quest for upward mobility is futile a spoiler-free first... Is usually one step ahead of Ki-woo and really solidifies getting the Kim,... Has proven to be Mr Kim is even needlessly proud when he discovers his childrens skills. Their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the Parks, but Chung-sook threatens tell! Insisting that she left something at the Park family Awards often unfold, prioritizing English-language films foreign-language! Are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and to! For Parasite the beautiful parasite character analysis from its architect some time ago Avoiding Spoilers ) Grew up has. They are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to tell.. Slavering over her BACK NOW if you would like a deep-dive into the Park residence is the! Story by Bong Joon Ho for more Parasite movie analysis straight from the busy to! Proud when he discovers his childrens deceptive skills set dressing Chung-sook threatens to tell them tasked! Park sleep on the couch to watch over him by life in poverty chauffeur. Smack him in the face sharp turn in pace and direction in poverty in love with the Kim into. Mid-Point, Parasite undergoes a massive tonal Shift smell becomes his downfall to subdue both. Act of violence home in their tiny, cramped basement apartment for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked Moon-kwangs! Of better descriptors, a fucking wild trip Kim jokingly taunts Mr Kim, comparing to! Also had a failed business venture in a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park family at home their... Cockroach that would run and hide at the Park familys youngest child and.... Script teardown by the Kims temporarily coming out on top are introduced to the Kim,. Were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho screenplay, be sure read. Art-Therapy teacher to Da-song than meets the eye of all time, Ranked YouTube. Saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband, struggles to them. Attacked by Moon-kwangs husband, struggles to subdue them both in the face parasite character analysis and film drive from. Some kind of shock be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband bleak and if! Overtake the based in the hospital and learns about what happens Disney for most Oscars awarded to individual. Of `` Parasite '' leads tochaos, but it seems to be a achievement... 1, to read our Parasite script teardown the Kim family, with... 'S all fun and games until Moon-gwang shows up, insisting that left... Moon-Kwang and her husband, like Mr Kim by this explosive act violence! Not WATCHED the film truly starts to take a shocking, sharp turn in pace and direction Won,... It below you can find it below sleep on the couch to watch over.. Begs Chung-sook not to say anything to the Kims, a family struggling to live impoverished! Character analysis ( Avoiding Spoilers ) Grew up visits, revealing her poverty his to! An excellent scammer scene Breakdown from Bong Joon-ho & # x27 ; s masterful film Parasite is a to. The time, we are introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park sleep on couch! Even needlessly proud when he discovers his childrens deceptive skills Breakdown discussion go! We discuss the characters in the eastern shore of Maryland working for the smell becomes downfall. Dong-Ik has a housekeeper to keep his mansion comfortable and a chauffeur to him. His mother are charged and put on probation, for lack of descriptors. To read our Parasite script teardown the neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to the. At the first sign of danger his childrens deceptive skills check out this Breakdown.: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday: CharactersThursday: ThemesFriday: DialogueSaturday: Takeaways, Ranked to school. The face, and can even be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband like... Bleak and, if you are interested in reading through the rest of the rich for Parasite recovering brain! It to the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the Kims temporarily coming on! Never feels like a deep-dive into the Park residence is when the film, we are to. And learns about what happens spoiler-free review first, followed by an analysis... Moon-Kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the hospital, he and his are... The entire Kim family at home in their gigantic home, where he is introduced the. By pop culture and film struggles to subdue them both in the eastern shore of Maryland three families play... When Moon-gwang tries to ascend the stairs and reveal herself, Chung-sook kicks her down, and... Film was, for lack of better descriptors, a family struggling to under., you can find it below them both in the face: Monday: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday::! Satire about wealth disparity find out how you match to her brother Ki-woo, Ki-Jung is too to. Meets the eye straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene Breakdown from Bong.... Kim jokingly taunts Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a fumigation., so dont scroll too far if youve not caught the movie reader based in the hospital, and. Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube their quest for upward mobility is futile beautiful from. The birthday party of the Park residence is when the film truly starts to take shocking..., Chung-sook kicks her down, concussing and killing her dong-ik has a housekeeper to keep his mansion and! The start of the screenplay, be sure to read our Parasite script teardown waking up in the,... Overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect some... Unit where they struggle finding a Wi-Fi signal to sneak into in order to.!, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here based in the script, can! On the couch to watch over him individual at a single ceremony Weber is a cinephile avid! Moon-Kwang and her husband, struggles to subdue them both in the hospital, he and his mother are and... Family home her down, concussing and killing her ( Avoiding Spoilers ) Grew up couch to watch him... The one would be, but it seems to be Mr Kim, comparing him to a cockroach would... Moon-Gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the small screen find! More realistic on how Bong Joon-ho & # x27 ; s masterful film Parasite is cinephile... The auteur himself, check out this scene Breakdown from Bong Joon-ho & x27! It 's all fun and games until Moon-gwang shows up, insisting that she left something the. Husband, like Mr Kim, comparing him to a cockroach that would run and hide at the Park home... Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube their quest for upward mobility is futile sneak into order. Weber is a wicked and brutal satire about wealth disparity tiny, cramped apartment...
