Since then, the Park family had never spent Da-songs birthday in the house. 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. The neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a free fumigation for his house. Were told that the house was built by a renowned architect, and that the housekeeper, Moon-kwang (Lee Jung Eun), also worked for the architect before the house was sold to the Parks. The script for "Parasite" will get a ton of attention as it's one of those clever twisting and turning tales for which the screenwriter gets the most credit (Bong and Han Jin-won, in this case), but this is very much an exercise in visual language that reaffirms Bong as a master.Working with the incredible cinematographer Kyung-pyo Hong ("Burning," "Snowpiercer") and an A-list . Ki-taek, who is hiding under the table, hears Mr. Park discuss his unsavory smell. He almost outs the Kim family on their scheme when he realizes that both Ki-taek and Chung-sook smell the same. 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. 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. Parasite study guide contains a biography of Bong Joon-ho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. More books than SparkNotes. The entire Kim family, beginning with Ki-woo, soon scam their way into different jobs for the Park family. Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, "I dont consider this a crime. 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. What is Mumblecore? 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. Ki-woo pens a letter to his father, fantasizing about his plan to go to college, secure a well-paying job and buy the Parks'. This article was published more than3 years ago, Note: This story, as one might assume from its headline, contains major spoilers for Parasite.. Trying to make long term plans for him to eventually marry Da-hye are laughed off by his family. Chung-sook takes over as the housekeeper. When the architect sold the mansion to the Park family, Moon-Gwang survived a change of ownership. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. The contrast in appearance between the Kims semi-basement home and the lavish home of the Park family is impossible to miss. Parasite has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean movies. For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here. Of the Kim family members, she is the most talented scammer. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. We can also see small hints at each of the Kim family members background, such as Chung-Sook aka Mrs Kims medal for hammer-throw hung on the wall. His thoughtless comments were slowly building up resentment in Mr Kim, and further amplified the divide between the two families. No. characters are most like you. Although it does not seem likely, Ki-Woo claims he will get admission into an elite university and marry Da-Hye. Please go catch the movie in the cinema before it ends its run. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Writers can shade and shape a storys character in limitless ways. At the start of the film, we are introduced to the Kims, a family struggling to live under impoverished conditions. I could sense my fellow audience members discomfort after the movie ended, and I even made eye contact with my neighbour as both our mouths were agape. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene BreakdownTuesday: PlotWednesday: CharactersThursday: ThemesFriday: DialogueSaturday: Takeaways. *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!! For example, Mr Park making callous comments at the expense of the Kim family which eventually lead to him getting stabbed, Mr Park pressuring Mr Kim to make a fool of himself at Da-songs birthday party with the threat of money, and the Parks only concerning themselves with Da-songs seizure despite the fact that Ki-jeong, someone who works for the Park family, had been stabbed at the birthday party. For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here. However, things went downhill from there. 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. Some time ago, she and her husband purchased the beautiful mansion from its architect. Parasite Summary The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. She does an excellent job getting the house back in order before the Park family returns and discovers Moon-gwang and her husband, but she's unable to stop what's coming by then. The Artist, a French and Belgian production, won best picture at the 2012 Academy Awards but was ineligible for the best foreign language film category as it is a silent film. Parasite is directed by the South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, who also directed the sci-fi action film Snowpiercer (which was among the highest-grossing films of all time in South Korea) and Okja (which has won multiple film awards and was also nominated for Palme dOr in 2017). The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Geun-sae is Moon-gwang's husband, who is living in the bunker underneath the Parks' house, hiding out from the loan sharks who want to kill him. Seeing an opportunity to get his artistically talented sister, Ki-jung, a job, Ki-woo says that he knows someone named "Jessica" who went to college in Illinois, who might be perfect for the job. Its perfectly ironic how the film has come full circle, with Mr Kim taking the place of Moon-kwangs husband in the bunker. The Kim family lives in a semi-basement and struggles to keep food on the table. On to the in-depth analysis! The film is obviously a social commentary on the class divide in South Korea, but its so much more than that. 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. Couldnt she have chosen to do so in broad daylight? Ki-taek, the father, begins working as the Park family chauffeur after the Kims have removed their previous chauffeur from his position, and similarly Chung-sook, the mother, replaces Moon-gwang, the housekeeper who has served the home longer than the Parks have even lived there. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. Though Parasite cannot be confined to a single genre, it centers its focus on class struggle, a sort of precursor to the warfare of Bongs 2013 thriller Snowpiercer. The staircases represent divisions of class and power the Kims wonder upon wandering upstairs whether, in a just world, they would also belong among the rich, so far above ground; upon descending to their flooded apartment in a storm that merely throws off the Parks camping trip, the Kims are reminded of the disparities between the two families. Although Ki-Woo lacks the charisma his sister Ki-Jung exhibits, Ki-Woo is an excellent scammer. Wealth has rendered her completely helpless, and she often spends her days napping on the couch or purchasing items for the house. 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. "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 . describe ki-woo. Her family members have joined her in working for the Park family. 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. I just felt that frankness was right for the film, even though it's sad." The Kim father and children quickly take cover as Mrs Kim decides to let Moon-kwang in. On that fateful day, he ran from the backyard with blood on his hands not Mr. Parks, as one might assume, but his own daughters. He soon discovers, however, that Mr. Park does not like his smell, and feels deflated by this insult. Moon-gwang is the Parks' first housekeeper, a holdover from the house's first owner, the architect who built it. However, if I had to pinpoint one member who would be the eponymous parasite, it would have to be Mr Kim. He is a violent and desperate man, and ends up going on a killing spree after the Kims kill his wife, Moon-gwang. When Da-song wants to sleep in a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park sleep on the couch to watch over him. He quickly convinces the mother Yeon-kyo, the excellent Jo Yeo-jeong, that the son of the house needs an art tutor, which allows Kevins sister Jessica (Park So-dam) to enter the picture. Grew up in a middle-class home that was neither poor nor terribly wealthy. Suffice to say, the wealthy in any country survive on the labor of the poor, whether its the housekeepers, tutors, and drivers they employ, or something much darker. The Kim family, living in poverty, struggles to make ends meet by doing menial jobs such as folding pizza boxes for a local pizza shop. Now he leads a pleasant life in the mansion with his wife Yeon-Kyo and two children. 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. Mr Kim is even needlessly proud when he discovers his childrens deceptive skills. Before long, mom and dad are in the Park house too, and it seems like everything is going perfectly for the Kim family. The Kim family moves in for the weekend and luxuriates. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. He also does a great job in coaching his father's performance for Yeon-gyo so that she will get rid of Moon-gwang. Mr Kim and his children continue to hide under the living room coffee table as Da-song camps outside in the lawn, determined to have his birthday camping trip and probably fearful of returning to the house on his birthday. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". capture a large family group in a single frame. They get Ki-taek a job as Mr. Park's driver, after Ki-jung leaves her underwear in the car to make it look like his previous driver was having a sexual relationship in the car. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal BEWARE OF SPOILERS. The patriarch of the Kim family. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? Whats their function? Staircases are an evocative symbol in Bong Joon Hos Parasite, a biting drama critics have named one of the years best films. 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