parasite character analysisparasite character analysis

Parasite study guide contains a biography of Bong Joon-ho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here. At every point, the viewer understands whose perspective were supposed to follow due to the tracking shots as we move with each character. characters are most like you. Parasite study guide contains a biography of Bong Joon-ho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. At some points, it seemed that the music didnt match the situation, such as instilling fear or anxiety in the listener when there was really nothing to worry about at the moment, but the sense of foreboding always pays off later in the film. Im someone who doesnt mind spoilers, but even I wouldnt wish the spoilers on my worse enemy. 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. 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). After Geun-sae bludgeons him with it, Ki-woo emerges from a coma all the more motivated to ascend the class ladder, buy the Parks' home, and reunite with his father, who is living in the subterranean bunker. This same subject of class is less overt in Parasite but far more grounded and effectively subtle to the point of never overshadowing the story being told for the sake of its themes. "Parasite" displays the world of the impoverished and the hypocrisy of capitalist "laws." The family lives in abject povertyfirst trying to survive through the precarious work of folding pizza boxes and then finding a hustle by pretending to be middle class, educated and helpful. However, to qualify for the job, Ki-Woo must forge his identity from a man in his mid-20s with no formal education to a student studying business at an elite university. The smell won't go away unless we leave this place.". Bonus points: sharing my fave moments only, because every scene in the movie is priceless. He writes his own letter back, in which he dreams about buying the house for himself and reuniting his family. His decision to kill Mr. Park at the end is a shocking and perhaps poor one, but not entirely unjustified. 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. Ki-woo Kim (Choi Woo-Shik) is a young man living in poverty in the slums of a nameless South Korean city with his family - father Ki-taek Kim (Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook Kim (Jang Hye-jin), and sister Ki-jung (Park So-dam). More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. It is a rather short-sighted one on his part because not only does Ki-woo end up pursuing Da-hye, but he ruins any possible opportunity to tutor for the Park family again. There is more to Da-song than meets the eye. The article breaks down how to identify and breakdown set elements in a screenplay. Yes, he receives help from Ki-jeong and Ki-woo with the peaches, but he is the one who must do the talking afterward. I was disappointed to find that not many people had done an in-depth analysis on the film, but thats what Im here for! The Kim family moves in for the weekend and luxuriates. Dong-ik isn't a terrible guy, but he isn't a great one either. Ki-jeong manages to gain the trust of the young Da-song, and was even the last person to show compassion towards Moon-kwang and her husband, offering to bring them food when theyre trapped in the basement. Min-hyuk offers Ki-woo his tutoring job while he's away noting that the family of the girl he tutors is not necessarily the best judge of character. For a full deep-dive analysis into how the themes of Parasite were previously tackled in Bong Joon-hos other films, check out this video essay on the subject: The Kim family may be below the Parks in status, but even they can look down on Moon-gwang and her husband. This was foreshadowed early in the film when Mr Kim flicks a stink bug off the table in his house he is the stink bug to Mr Park, a smelly, insignificant insect that is unwelcome, and it is ultimately his stink that triggers his aggression towards Mr Park. She returns to the house to check on her husband, who is living in a secret subterranean bunker. The Parks suddenly call, informing Mrs Kim that they would be arriving home in 8 minutes. This article was published more than3 years ago, Note: This story, as one might assume from its headline, contains major spoilers for Parasite.. Profession stay-at-home housekeeper. For some Parasite movie analysis straight from the auteur himself, check out this scene breakdown from Bong Joon-ho. *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!! 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. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. Theres something off about Moon-kwangs unnamed husband. Ki-woo visits the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park. We can't blame him too much for developing such trust in Ki-taek that he doesn't see his impending death coming right for him. With Ki-jeong dead, Ki-woo, recovering from brain damage, obsessively returns to observe the house from afar. Now, the exquisite building is home to Yeon-Kyo, her husband Dong-Ik, and her two children. As Ki-woo first arrives at the Park house, were treated to an awe-inspiring view of the front lawn an immaculately manicured space with trimmed hedges and trees surrounding the perimeter. Bong has made several films about class (including "Snowpiercer" and "Okja"), but Parasite may be his most daring examinationof the structural inequity that has come to define the world. Major kudos to Olivia Ramirez for doing this weeks scene-by-scene breakdown. As Mrs Park eats in the kitchen, she shares with Mrs Kim the story of the trauma Da-song experienced when he was younger. I would LOVE to hear from other viewers on their theories on the film, so please feel free to share them with me. Small things, such as the Kim family opening their windows as their neighbourhood is fumigated in order to rid their own apartment of pests, or drunkards that liked to piss on their basement windows at night, were double-edged jokes that combined absurdist humour with sly details of the familys desperation and socio-economic plight. Very soon, the Kims also manage to displace the longstanding housekeeper to make room for Mrs Kim to join the operation. The neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a free fumigation for his house. RELATED: Parasite: 7 Reasons It's Bong Joon-Ho's Best Movie (& 7 It's Not). The record-setting trend continued for the Parasite film. He may be the youngest of the Park family, but he is by no means the dumbest. Yeon-gyo is a well-meaning mother and wife, but she's rather gullible. He soon discovers, however, that Mr. Park does not like his smell, and feels deflated by this insult. Perhaps Ki-jeong being killed off was due to her death having the most significant impact on the family and on the viewer. Not only does he have to create suspicion about her, but he has to then convince Yeon-gyo to dispose of Moon-gwang without actually advocating for it. Writing Exercise: Think about each character. It is somehow, and Im still not even really sure how, both joyous and depressing at the same time. She is brusque and unsentimental like her daughter, toughened by life in poverty. 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. Dont buy eggs. He notices the flickering light and deciphers a coded message from his father. Buy TVs. Electronics prices are defying inflation. 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. Hence my principle: Character = Function. Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living in Park family's beautiful mansion in the wealthy neighborhoods of Seoul, South Korea. The Question and Answer section for Parasite is a great Read the script for the award-winning foreign film and analyze all week. What an astute observation for a young child, and this was such a key detail to throw in. Lets shift gears from a Parasite summary to a Parasite movie analysis. However, things went downhill from there. She takes great pride in her work as a housekeeper, and loses her job unexpectedly after the Kims make her peach allergy look like active tuberculosis. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? Parasite essays are academic essays for citation. 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. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family live on the edge of poverty. The local pizza shop informs the Kims that one in four of the pizza boxes they folded were faulty and could not be used. The next day, Mrs. Park calls each of them in to work on Da-song's birthday party, which will take place on the lawn. Relationship Status involved with his student Da-Hye. He is traumatised not once, but twice at the sight of Moon-kwangs husband, and is also the youngest and most innocent character. Ki-taek may be out of work, but he's no dummy. To download a PDF of the breakdown for Parasite, go here. Grew up in a middle-class home that was neither poor nor terribly wealthy. Dong-Ik has a housekeeper to keep his mansion comfortable and a chauffeur to drive him from the busy workplace to his peaceful home. Follow along with the Parasite script as StudioBinder is used to recreate what the actual script breakdown may have looked like. 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. Suddenly, the Kims fall down the stairs of the bunker in a pile, after listening in on the conversation. Its so clichd at this point in the critical conversation during the hot take season of festivalsto say, Youve never seen a movie quite like X. Such astatement has become overused to such a degree that its impossible to be taken seriously, like how too many major new movies are gifted the m-word: masterpiece. Personality cool and cynical. Parasite Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube Now that he is both her tutor and her boyfriend, he dreams of an affluent future as her husband. After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. 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. 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. Mrs. Park is a beautiful, wealthy, and ditzy head-of-household who prides herself on not being able to do domestic chores. 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. Parasite catapulted him to a different level of fame, earning him not only the first Academy Award for Best Picture to go to an international film, but also a unanimously-decided-upon Palme d'Or at Cannes. The Park family is also blissfully unaware that the Kims are all related, but the observant young Park son, Da-song (Jung Hyun-joon) notices that all the new hires smell the same. Soon enough, Ki-woo and Ki-taek secure positions in the Park household for their parents as well. Ki-woo and his sister Ki-jung forge credentials for the job, and thus begins the long-con that sees each member of the Kim family infiltrating the upper-class Park family one-by-one. The Kims return to find that their apartment has flooded with sewage water and try to rescue whatever valuables they can, including the fortune rock gifted to Ki-woo. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. 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. The patriarch of the Kim family. 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. 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. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. 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! Because I plan on going to this school next year." Each character inParasiteis unique, but they definitely differ in levels of intelligence. Mr Parks arrogance and distaste for the smell becomes his downfall. You would think that maybe before you hire someone else, you stop to think if maybe your household staff is disappearing faster than usual? Bong Joon-ho displays a mastery over genres and tones with this mid-point shift. The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. The young man changes his name to Kevin and begins tutoring Park Da-hye (Jung Ziso), who immediately falls for him, of course. Please enable Javascript and hit the button below! Its at this stage that the film makes you realise that no matter how low on the ladder of destitution the Kim family was (before they got employed by the Parks), there is always someone on the rung below you. Before long, mom and dad are in the Park house too, and it seems like everything is going perfectly for the Kim family. For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here. Cho Yeo-jeong 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. Their credentials were just as questionable as hers were. Moon-gwang is the Parks' first housekeeper, a holdover from the house's first owner, the architect who built it. But rather than leaving viewers in this dreamy state, Bong pinches them and returns to the apartment. 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 old house so that his father can live freely. The only truly faultless character in the film is the young Park Da-song. Armed with a knife, he makes a beeline for the first member of the Kim family he can see Ki-jeong, as shes delivering Da-songs birthday cake to him on the lawn. Parasite is Bong Joon Ho's newest flick, and it's dark, twisted, and totally fascinating. as an art student at a middle-class family. Characters are the players in our stories. He has good intentions, even if he is dishonest about how he achieves success, and just wants to create a better life for his family. I left the cinema with my heart racing thats just how impactful this movie was. And what do we do when we see an actual masterpiece in this era of critics crying wolf? As silly an instruction this is, the Kim family respects his wishes and starts to comedically choke and cough as the fumes fill up their apartment, with only Mr Kim indifferent to the toxic fumes. Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-contending "Parasite" masterfully explores class divisions in Korea with voyeuristic delight. As with every film, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so my interpretation here may be different from yours. Ki-woo as the Park daughters English tutor, Ki-jeong as the Park sons art tutor/therapist, Mr Kim as the familys chauffeur, and Mrs Kim as the housekeeper. Challenge finding a way out of family's misfortune. Parasite is clear-eyed about the illusions that inequality needs in order to perpetuate itself, and about the many systems that shield one-percenters like the Parks from having to get their own hands dirty while engaged in the project of oppression. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. He has always been fascinated by pop culture and film. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. 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. Personality driven and flexible. The thought that the panties were placed their intentionally to sabotage the chauffeur did not even cross Mr Parks mind. The films score here perfectly uses the technique of moving up musical keys in non-linear, minor and discordant chords to instill fear and anxiety in the viewer as Moon-kwang and Mrs Kim descend down endless flights of concrete stairs, turning left and right at every corner to finally reach the bunker below. However, if I had to pinpoint one member who would be the eponymous parasite, it would have to be Mr Kim. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this. For a moment, it seems as though the jig is up for the Kims as Mr Park is suspicious about the entire situation, but he foolishly chalks up the forgotten panties as a result of the chauffeur taking illegal drugs. account. 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. But, before we dig deeper into the social commentary, lets take a look at how the film managed to break through to an unmatched audience size. She likes to play games with Ki-taek, calling him a cockroach and belittling him, as part of their marital dynamic. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Alongside actor Choi Woo-sik, he explains the significance of production design elements from the beginning of the film, such as the cultural context of scholars stones in South Korea and the idea of distant hope conveyed by the semi-basement window. There are plenty of examples of subtle foreshadowing all throughout this opening act that circle back around by the end of the film. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. Following the films major twist, Parasite continues in a far darker tone until its ending. Mrs Kim taking advantage of the open lawn to practice her hammer-throw skills, at the expense of someones window. Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living in a state-of-art mansion. 31 Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Grew up. 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. The rest of the family hides as Chung-sook lets her in and Moon-gwang reveals a bunker in the basement of the house, a lair that was installed by the architect who built it, and which even the Parks have no knowledge of. After he gets the job, Ki-Woo proceeds to fetch employment for the rest of his family members--sister Ki-Jung as an art tutor, father Ki-Teak as a chauffeur, and lastly mom Chung-Sook as a housekeeper. You would have never expected that the spacious, minimalist living room would having sufficient hiding spots for the Kim family, but they make do, truly living up to the cockroach analogy used by Mrs Kim earlier on as the Kims scatter and hide at the first sign of danger. The Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks. When a fluke of luck gets the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), a job as an English tutor for the wealthy Park familys daughter, the lives of the two families start to intertwine in comedic, dramatic, and eventually, disastrous ways. describe ki-woo. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. The music was truly masterful as it even manages to foreshadow later plot points that would unfold in the settings that conveyed tension or dread through its music. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Its a conversation starter in ways we only get a few times a year, and further reminder that Bong Joon-ho is one of the best filmmakers working today. 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. More books than SparkNotes. However, things went downhill from there. In our Parasite movie analysis, we found that although the tone and style change, the themes at play remain consistent from the first half to the second half, and continue to be developed further as the film progresses. Create robust and customizable shot lists. Grew up as an art student at a middle-class family. In a trance-like state as his daughter is bleeding out on the ground, Mr Kim is triggered by Mr Parks balking at the stench and fatally stabs him in the chest before running out the house. The film begins with the Kim family at home in their tiny, cramped basement apartment. 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. Parasite director Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean filmmaker to win best director at the academy awards. Parasites ending features a sequence of Ki-woos plan to work hard, buy the house under which his own father now hides, and reunite the family but this plan is nothing but a fantasy. Parasite has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean movies. Ki-Woo's high school friend persuaded Ki-Woo to take his place as an English tutor for the Parks family's young girl. If he is ever caught, he may suffer the death penalty for committing a murder. The characters are a reason for the success and we've ranked how smart they are. The flooding sequence, as depicted on the poster, also illustrates how the wealthy are unaffected by many of the debilitating circumstances that affect the lower classes as they are, quite literally, above the trouble. 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. "Parasite" is a marvelously entertaining film in terms of narrative, but theres also so much going on underneath about how the rich use the poor to survive in ways that I cant completely spoil here (the best writing about this movie will likely come after its released). Parasite represents the most focused and refined approach to class as a subject that Bong Joon-ho has achieved, and thats certainly saying something given his impressive body of work. I had my doubts over who the one would be, but it seems to be Mr Kim. For more Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho creates meaning through set dressing. Thats all I can say without giving away major spoilers! The argument between the two families becomes violent, with the Kims temporarily coming out on top. He translates the code and realizes that it is a message from his father, who is living in the bunker. 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. It also makes perfect sense to me that a family would have the same smell as they live in the same house and use the same soaps and detergents. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. The topic of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a clear fascination with. They participate in scenes, move the plot forward through action and dialogue, influence each other, evolve and change. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. Yeon-Kyo enjoys a calm and relaxing life in the mansion. An American DIY Film Movement, When is Golden Hour? Parasite has a cynical view of how class operates in a capitalist society, but as Bong has said, its also painfully realistic. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. When you move up the ladder, someone else has to be displaced. 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. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. Maybe you're the one who isn't a good judge of character, Min. Moon-kwangs appearance at the Park residence is when the film truly starts to take a shocking, sharp turn in pace and direction. I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this weeks script: Parasite. 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). Ki-woo prepares a letter in response, swearing that he would work hard to earn enough money to eventually buy the house and free his father. Reading scripts. Please go catch the movie in the cinema before it ends its run.

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