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Rating: 5 out of 5
I don’t know about you, but many people dream of being rich or wealthy. I don’t know about famous but wealthy. I would love to just be rich and feel comfortable in life. Not have to worry about certain bills because I have the money to do so. In the States, we can go from rags to riches, but social class is also very prevalent. Everyone has some type of plan of getting from being broke to rich. What is your plan because with Parasite, one family manages to infiltrate a wealthy family and pretty much become their staff to escape their life of poverty? Get ready for a ride that will trip your whole mind.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won, Parasite is a freakin fantastic black comedy film that will have you doing a standing ovation. Parasite revolves around the Kims family: mother and father Chung-sook (Hye-jin) and Ki-taek (Kang-ho) and their young adult children son Ki-woo (Woo-shik) and daughter Ki-jung (So-dam). The Kims are straight-up BROKE and live in a cramp basement area where they steal wifi, make pizza boxes, and have to leave the windows open for the bug spray man to kill their bugs free of charge. They are probably one step from being homeless. The Kims’ life changes when Ki-woo is chosen by his university student friend Min. Min is leaving to go to school and suggests that Ki-woo take over his tutoring job to Park Da-hye (Ji-so), the daughter of the Parks family. The Parks are straight-up RICH and live in this house that will make your mouth drop. Min tells Ki-woo that Mrs. Park is an airhead and to fake his education to get the job. Ki-woo manages to fake his way into getting the job and learns that Mrs. Park is looking for an art therapist for the Parks’ adolescent son, Da-song (Hyeon-jun). Ki-woo quickly recommends a professional art therapist friend named “Jessica,” who is really his sister. Soon the Kims replace the staff one by one until they fully infiltrate the Parks family home while using other identities. In their new roles, the question is how long they can keep up their fake lives in their quest to being rich.
Wow! Just wow! I actually applauded this movie because it was that freakin excellent and enjoyable to watch. It gave me chills thinking about how the Kim family just straight up went in and almost took control of the Park family’s whole home. The entire story of the Kim family as broke people getting a wealth rock and it leading the son faking being a tutor followed by the family infesting their way into other areas of the Park family is mind-blowing. It will make you think not to trust people and show how the money will make you naïve to the people surrounding you.
First, just the overall thought of how the Kim family manipulated their way into the Park family. It made me chuckle when Yeon-gyo tells Ki-jung that she is too young and innocent and has a lot to learn about people. Mrs. Park, you have been played and need to look in the mirror. That one sentence in the whole movie showed that you shouldn’t trust people but how well people can get into another person’s home. When Ki-woo gets recommended and just fakes his way to tutoring the daughter by telling her she should attack with a sword and holds her wrist to check the pulse, that was a boss move. From there, it went on as the family planned to just get in. When Ki-jung comes in and fakes her way to being an art psychologist is freakin scary, but the way the family gets rid of the driver and housekeeper looked like an elaborate plan from Ocean’s Eleven. It was straight-up crazy but freaky to watch this family hatch their plan. If only they applied all these skills to getting out of their own lives that they built.
The movie has many themes that are so prominent in the world. First, the film shows the distinct division of class conflict. The Kim family is a family that lives at the bottom of the barrel, while the Park family lives at the top. Now, this doesn’t mean that the Park family has held down the Kim family. One family is far more successful than the other. Ki-taek spends his days dreaming of a better life and having a fortune. Yet, in his home, he is at the bottom, surrounded by concrete all day long. Park family live in this grand house. What is prominent about this is the thought of “crossing the line.” Dong-ik states that some people should never cross the line and somewhat has this superiority tone about it. The film shows this beautifully first when Moon-gwang claps her hands and wakes up Yeon-gyo when she is sleeping on the table outside. The film shows Moon-gwang “crossing the line” from the perspective of the window to wake her up. Another way that class conflict is shown is during the “party” that the Kim family does before the Park family arrives after a rainstorm. The Kim family were living the high life drinking and eating that good food, but when the family returns and they have to quickly make their escape, but before that, they sleep under the couch to not be noticed. This scene shows that no matter how far the Kim family rises, they will still be beneath someone and their employer and might never escape.
Another theme that comes into play is wealth disparity. The Kim family is straight-up poor, while the Park family is straight-up wealthy. One way the film shows this is the place each family lives. The Kim family lives in this apartment that looks like a basement. They have these bugs that roam around and mooch off the internet from the bathroom while putting together pizza boxes to just make it in the world. The Park’s house is PHENOMENAL! You want to talk about rich! Look at that grass. So green without a blade out of place. They have the best kitchen and that wine wall. A thing of beauty. Mr. Park has that sweet ride where he has a driver. They live a life of luxury. Money doesn’t seem like an option to the Park family because Mrs. Park throws out money to everyone like it is skittles. Yet as the Kim family starts getting more money, they start drinking better beer and dedicating it to the scholar’s rock.
That brings me to the scholar’s rock. It is meant to promise wealth. This is when Ki-taek’s eyes light up, along with Ki-woo believing that the rock will do what it is meant to do. In the end, does it really serve its purpose, or did it bring misery? Ki-woo vows to buy the house one day to save his father, and yet where they once lived is the same place they lived at the end of the movie. Now, are they truly happy? No matter how many plans the Kim family plans and tries to get out of the life they have, they will never see that they will forever be part of someone else’s world and just minor pawns. Also, that rock needs to be buried after causing some people some major harm. Yet, if you think about it, this is where capitalism strives. The belief that individuals hold all the power. Ki-taek was a man who was eaten, chewed up, and spitted out by the system and his son Ki-woo is full of hope. Even though Ki-woo, in the end, envisions a better life in his future by buying the very home his father is trapped in, Ki-taek has decided to take permanent residence in his rightful spot below the Park’s house.
Now out of all the craziness of watching the Kim family slowly invade the lives of the Park family, you want to know what the craziest scene is? The freakin birthday cake scene. You want to talk about creepy and strange. That is the scene that is straight-up crazy. When dude’s eyes look all freaky, and buggy, no wonder the kid screamed out loud. Also, the scene when the Kim family or the men try to get rid of the drunk who is pissing in front of their home. That whole slow-motion scene was just a work of art.
Every actor and actress deserves significant praise. They are the ones who made the story go and made it entertaining. I don’t want to point out any one person because each person was great. It would be unfair if I said one person was better than the other.
Parasite is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. While watching this fantastic film, it gave me chills and made me wonder if I should trust people. There are some snakes out there. Maybe I should think of it as there will always be someone at the bottom working for someone else. Please watch this fantastic film because you will love it.
