Sometimes, the Best Plan is No Plan At All.

A certain foreign film has been blowing up across American media in recent months— 

dark comedy thriller Parasite is the first Korean film to win the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and judging from its prospects, it might just snag an Oscar.

Thanks to my friends and family who still live in East Asian countries, I was notified of this film’s debut in early October, and after gleefully streaming it via not-so-legal-website, I was shooketh. 

 

Parasite “centers on the Kims, a low-income South Korean family that manipulates its way into employment positions in the household of a wealthy family”, the Parks (Los Angeles Times). But beneath the masterful cinematography, director Bong Joon-ho makes sure his satirical thriller poignantly comments on the terrifying rudimentarity of human nature;  “the film’s class-war subtext concrete with a bloody struggle for survival that leaves no one holding the moral high ground” (Hollywood Reporter),  when pushed to its limits, backed into a corner, we, humans, are the actual monsters of our own worst nightmares. 

 

– minor spoiler ahead – mentions of plot –

 

As mentioned previously, this film is about how a lower-class family leeches off a wealthy household by slowly infiltrating each domestic-servant position available: the son initially kicks off the domino by securing the job of a tutee, followed by the daughter who poses as an art therapist, the father weasels in as a chauffeur, and the mother completes the act as the housemaid. The only catch being the necessary lie that none of them are actually related, but instead acquaintances recommended from “prestigious” work connections.

 

See, the thing is, if the Kims had simply settled with being content in the newfound comfort of stable jobs, they would’ve, could’ve slowly but steadily elevated their lifestyle and social position with the hefty salary that the Park family supplied from such a symbiotic relationship, and maybe there’d have been a less horrific end to this story. 

But no. They were not satisfied. The more Ki-woo, Ki-jeong, Ki-taek, and Chung-sook indulged in the perks of working in a high-class, luxurious situation, the more they longed for such a life to become reality. Their wake-up call comes when the entire Kim family pigs out in the Park home when the rich family leaves for vacation, enjoying the giddiness that mock-ownership of such a luxurious life brings, when suddenly, the previous, fired, housekeeper shows up at the front door requesting entrance, with the excuse that she had left some belongings at the Park mansion.

The Kim family immediately scramble to disguise any evidence of their faux-celebration, and Chung-sook cautiously opens the door for the old housekeeper. And this is where things head South. And I mean wayyyyyyy South. 

 

First, here are some important things to know:

• In Parasite, height and angles are intentionally used in an obvious manner to showcase the discrepancy between the wealthy and the impoverished.
• Example; the Kims live in a sub-basement home in the city slums while the Parks perch in a custom-designed architectural masterpiece with many, many stairs, far above ground level.

– end of slight plot summary –

 

Okay, back to the story. Hold on, it turns out that I actually can’t continue my blurb for fear of spoiling too much of the movie, SORRY, but I will reveal this— the movie is divided into two parts, or acts, and upon the arrival of the unexpected visitor begins the frightful, toe-curling drama of the second half. 

Sounds exciting, yeah? Guess you’ll have to watch it to find out. 

 

What I really wanted to comment on though, is how Bong Joon-ho depicts social stratification in modern-day society, a current flaw that is very much ignored in mainstream media. It is easy to overlook the existing wealth-gap because technology is unbelievably accessible, computers and smartphones are no longer novelties, much less a defining symbol of the rich.

Sure, maybe it IS because we live in Naperville, but even on a global scale, poverty, class, and welfare are taboo subjects that first-world countries tend to sweep under the rug. Therein lies Bong’s genius in writing, he effortlessly blends together humor, suspense, action, and drama, creating an intriguing narrative that explores the juxtaposition of wealth and poverty. Not only does Parasite capture the blatant comparison of poor and lavish lifestyles, Bong further exposes the very much prevalent issues of capitalism and materialism in society [see Kim family’s obsession with the Park lifestyle] (Pepperdine Graphic).

 

On such a grim note, I will leave you with Bong’s own comment on Parasite—

 

“This is pretty pessimistic and scary to imagine, but I think five or 10 years later on this film might feel even more current, and I think the ending really reflects that. It’s been so long since the rich and poor have been divided. There’s this anxiety and fear that it will only grow even wider and of course it would be great if that’s not the case, but I do have that feeling. I don’t think this issue can be resolved in our generation. I think it will be passed onto our children, to our children’s children and we have no idea when the system can really change.” 

-Bong, for the Los Angeles Times

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Cocchella, Gianni. “Review: ‘Parasite’ Reveals Dark Reality and Commentary on Social Stratification ‘ Pepperdine Graphic.” Pepperdine Graphic, 28 Oct. 2019, pepperdine-graphic.com/review-parasite-reveals-dark-reality-and-commentary-on-social-stratification/. 

Dalton, Stephen. “’Parasite’ (‘Gisaengchung’): Film Review: Cannes 2019.” The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sept. 2019, www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/parasite-review-1212755.

Ellwood, Gregory. “’Parasite’ and Its Take on the Class Divide Could Break South Korea’s Oscar Dry Spell.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2019, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-12/parasite-bong-joon-ho-south-korea-oscars.

White, Armond. “Parasite: Antifa Comedy for the Cancel-Culture Era.” National Review, National Review, 21 Oct. 2019, www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/movie-review-parasite-laughs-at-family-and-social-ruin/.

^ This is a very critical review of Parasite, comparing it to a late film that this particular author believes is more effective and far superior in delivering its message.