Parasite
- Catarina
- Aug 19, 2021
- 4 min read
In an increasingly toxic society, who are the real parasites?
Name: Gisaengchung (기생충) | Parasite
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Year: 2019
Type: Film
Duration: 132 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Synopses:
Kim Ki-taek is married and has two children, a close-knit family but they are all unemployed and their future prospects are uncertain. Ki-woo, the youngest son, is recommended by a friend to tutor a high-class young woman, giving the whole family a unique opportunity to find a regular income here. Little by little, the paths of the two families cross, and this meeting between two realities of opposite classes will provoke an unstoppable chain of incidents, where it will become difficult to understand who the real parasites are.
Review
For those who have never heard of “Parasite”, this film made history in 2020 when it became the first foreign film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, and its director Bong Joon-ho was the first Asian director to receive the award for Best Director.
This film is full of themes and topics that I could explore, but since I can't do everything in this review because it would make this article too long and heavy, I decided to present our readers with some videos that explore more deeply some topics that I decided to highlight.
The story begins with the Kim family introduction: Ki-tae is the family man and a former driver, his wife Choong-soo was once a hammer thrower, son Ki-woo and daughter Ki-jeong are two young people who never got to go to college. All are unemployed and living in a precarious situation, where they only earn a small income through uncertain jobs.
When his son Ki-woo becomes the eldest daughter's English tutor in a wealthy family, they find here a unique opportunity to earn an income so they can lift their family out of poverty. Little by little, they infiltrate the Park family's life through various strategies and lies, until they get the whole family to work in the millionaire Park mansion.
I must mention that the way the story unfolds on a technical level until all the members of the Kim family are integrated into the Park family's life is brilliant and demonstrates why this film was nominated for an Oscar for best editing. From the choice of shots, to the rhythm of the sequence, it really reaches perfection. And nothing better than taking a look at this video to better understand what I mean by perfect.
In a work that prioritizes criticism of the current society in which we live, the director manages to incorporate in his story several symbolisms that constantly mark the differences between the two families: the Kim family, who live precariously, and the Park family, who live in extreme abundance and wealth. These symbolisms can transcend any culture or country, any spectator watching the film can identify, and it is perhaps one of the reasons why many consider this film a true work of art. Here is a more detailed explanation of all the symbolisms that appear throughout the film.
Without a doubt, this work was the affirmation of Bong Joon-ho as one of the best directors of our time.
Whisper of the Heart
I think the big theme covered in this film comes down to a simple question: "Who are the real parasites in our society?"
In a time when we are more and more surrendered to material goods and appearance, we are becoming more superficial and forgetting what are the true values that we must take into account in order to be decent people. This is the case of the Kim family, who are so desperate to get out of poverty and capable of the most malevolent schemes to achieve their goal: to stay all working at the Parks' house, like real parasites. But what about the Park family? Are they really that unscathed from moral judgments?
Throughout the film, we realize that the innocent family that is being deceived by the Kim family is not so innocent after all. On the contrary, they even have a lot of despicable attitudes towards the people who work with them or who work for them. Are they not also parasites who take advantage of the work of others to rise in life?
After all who are the parasites?
Some are poor and greedy for wanting to rise in life, while others are rich and lack humility and respect for those who work for them, which will culminate in a spiral of events that will inevitably lead us to the fateful outcome of this film. Once again this ending shows us Bong Joon-ho's brilliant mind. I advise everyone to take a look at this video that makes an in-depth analysis of the end of the film (spoiler alert).
I don't think anyone will be indifferent to seeing this film, we will all get our hands on our conscience and end up reflecting on our society and on our own everyday actions. Are we a parasite?
I chose this film to be part of the Ecletic Heart 30 Post Challenge under the theme “a film that won an Oscar”, because in my opinion it is one of the best films that premiered in recent years.
Rating - 🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉 (10)
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