parasite character analysis

Moon-kwangs husband, enraged at the Kim family for leaving Moon-kwang for dead, attacks Ki-woo by strangling him and striking him in the head with the very fortune rock that Ki-woo brought. Parasite was not just the first South Korean film to win the foreign language prize at the Oscars but also the first foreign language film from any country to win the overall best picture prize. The rest of the Kims scramble to clean up the mess they had made, sweeping everything under the couch and hiding under the living room table. When the Kims move into the Parks' house, Ki-woo notes that Ki-jung seems to fit in well with the trappings of wealth, and can carry off a luxurious lifestyle naturally. He is traumatised not once, but twice at the sight of Moon-kwangs husband, and is also the youngest and most innocent character. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal 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. Improving the family's financial situation is the most important goal for Ki-Woo, and he remains hopeful of his future. And, if you would like a deep-dive into the inner workings of the screenplay, be sure to read our Parasite script teardown. 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. Ki-taek may be out of work, but he's no dummy. The film is packed with social commentary, thrilling moments, and plenty of meaty writing worthy of a full Parasite movie analysis. This paper aims to study the gap between the rich and poor reflected in movie Parasite. She is easily deceived by Ki-jeong's framing of the Park family chauffeur as explained by Dong-ik. Grabbing the knife Geun-se wielded, Ki-taek stabs Mr. Park and runs away. Acting on impulse, Ki-woo heads to a mountain near the house the Parks have since vacated, and which now belongs to a rich German family. Parasite director Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean filmmaker to win best director at the academy awards. Script Analysis: "Parasite" Part 3: Characters | by Scott Myers | Go Into The Story Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Moon-Gwang has been living in the mansion as the architect's housekeeper since it was first built. GradeSaver, 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite. 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. The film is obviously a social commentary on the class divide in South Korea, but its so much more than that. It perfectly encapsulated each moment of the film, whether it was absurdist humour, dark humour, escalating tension, or setting the tone for future revelations. Of the Kim family members, she is the most talented scammer. Were here to help. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. Interests scouting. Chung-sook is framed as deceiving the family by hiding a dangerous illness. Living in a state-of-art mansion. A visual medium requires visual methods. Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, "I dont consider this a crime. He even tells Ki-woo that the best plan is to have no plan, because then you will never be disappointed when the plan doesnt play out the way you wanted it. Da-song was perhaps the only hope the Park family had and still they collapsed. How could they possibly compare to a couple leeching off the Parks like this? The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. 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. Blood is shed and deaths are cast at the birthday party of the Park familys youngest child. 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. Profession stay-at-home housekeeper. Their camping trip had been cancelled due to the heavy downpour. What they dont realise is the effects their actions have. The smell won't go away unless we leave this place.". He is a generally congenial but snobbish man. He works as a list writer for Valnet, Inc. covering Screen Rant. The clean, empty spaces of the Park home contrasted against the tight quarters of the Kim living arrangement isnt just symbolic, its visually stimulating without ever calling attention to itself. His sister is dead, his fathers whereabouts unknown. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. So how do critics convey when a film truly is unexpectedly, brilliantly unpredictable in ways that feel revelatory? A knocked-out Moon-kwang soon gains consciousness and tries to flee up the basement stairs just as Mrs Park arrives back home, but Mrs Kim deals a deft kick to Moon-kwangs chest, sending her tumbling down the stairs and landing in the basement with a sick thud of her head against the concrete wall. It seems that Ki-jeong had the most passive hand to play in the situation despite setting off the entire disastrous plot, never going as far as Ki-woo as he forms a romantic relationship with the Parks daughter, or harbouring as much resentment against the Parks as Mr and Mrs Kim. Its here we can clearly see how money and richness have made the Parks blind and naive. 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. Da-song was so shocked at seeing a strange man creep up the stairs with his bug-eyes wide open that he suffered a seizure, and this trauma also explains for the many creepy portraits that Da-song draws. It is somehow, and Im still not even really sure how, both joyous and depressing at the same time. Ki-Woo's high school friend persuaded Ki-Woo to take his place as an English tutor for the Parks family's young girl. Parasite has a lot worthy of analysis and it has a lot to say. Mr Kim is even needlessly proud when he discovers his childrens deceptive skills. Today we discuss the characters in the script for Parasite. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. This article was published more than3 years ago, Note: This story, as one might assume from its headline, contains major spoilers for Parasite.. Her charismatic personality makes her excellent at fooling the Parks. 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. Parasite has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean movies. Yes, it wouldn't have taken as much skill as she demonstrated to convince Yeon-gyo to be Da-song's new art therapist, but she plays the part so well that it positions her charge an exorbitant sum of money. Ki-woo wakes up in the hospital and learns about what happens. But if you dig down deep enough, you can find each characters narrative function, and that can become a lens through which you develop the players in your stories. 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. Relationship Status involved with his student Da-Hye. As the end credits began to roll, the tension in the cinema was palpable. However, things went downhill from there. 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. The scene where we discover the bunker easily has the highest tension of all scenes in the movie. The only truly faultless character in the film is the young Park Da-song. The next day, the Kim family is invited back to the Parks as they decide to throw a birthday party for Da-song. Parasite Summary The film starts with the Kim family, a South Korean family struggling with poverty in a poor neighborhood in an unnamed city. The Kim father and children quickly take cover as Mrs Kim decides to let Moon-kwang in. The argument between the two families becomes violent, with the Kims temporarily coming out on top. Moon-gwang is pretty remarkable in that she has not only managed to ward off people from taking her job up until the Kim family, but she has also managed to keep her husband hidden in the Park family basement for alongtime. Parasite broke a number of financial records as well, including the highest foreign film opening weekend of all time for the UK box office, and a number of records with the Indie Box Office. Parasite Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube In the good ol' days, her husband Ki-Taek owned a chicken shack, then a Taiwanese Castella shop. 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. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. Kim's familywill be reminded of that chasm and the cruelty of inequity in ways you couldnt possibly predict. Through the analysis of the audio-visual language of the movie, this article starts with the storytelling of Parasite, enumerates and analyses the elements that appear in the movie to reflect the gap between the rich and poor. 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. Dong-ik isn't a terrible guy, but he isn't a great one either. Create robust and customizable shot lists. Theres something off about Moon-kwangs unnamed husband. What is the movie Parasite about? has many answers. Elevation clearly equates to status; the parks have a multi-level home at the top of the hill while the Kims live below street level in a semi-basement, and the surprise 3rd party lives deep underground in a sub-basement. More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. 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. "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. The Parks go on a camping trip for Da-song's birthday, leaving the house empty. The Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks. Let me know if, like me, you wanted to re-watch the film from the top immediately after it ended. Profession art tutor. in a middle-class home that was neither poor nor terribly wealthy. Eventually, the Kims are able to escape, but when they return home, they find their apartment is completely flooded. And finally, as we discover when the tone pivots from that of a heist comedy to a rather harrowing but still witty thriller, there is the secret set connecting the Parks basement to a bunker where the husband of the familys former housekeeper has been hiding from loan sharks for about four years. Writers can shade and shape a storys character in limitless ways. He is obsessed with keeping his employees controlled and hates nothing more than when one of his charges "crosses the line." Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. She is brusque and unsentimental like her daughter, toughened by life in poverty. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. Maybe you're the one who isn't a good judge of character, Min. 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. Staircases are an evocative symbol in Bong Joon Hos Parasite, a biting drama critics have named one of the years best films. What is Parasite about? Ki-jung gets the job after impressing Mrs. Park with some pseudo insights about psychology, and Mrs. Park hires her as both a tutor and an art therapist. Ki-woo is what really gets the Kim family through the Park family's door. The only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. Ki-jeong is not only the brains in the family who sets the entire scam operation in motion, she is also pegged by Ki-woo the most likely to succeed in her family as he mentions that Ki-jeong fits in the best at the Parks residence, hinting at her potential for success, but perhaps also foreshadowing her death on the residence grounds. What ensues is a sneaky ploy on the Kim familys part to slowly insert themselves into the lives (and house) of the Park family as they attempt to build a better life for themselves. Parasite study guide contains a biography of Bong Joon-ho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The topic of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a clear fascination with. As we enter the house, we see that the same design sensibilities are used the house has plenty of wide, open spaces and minimalistic furniture. 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. as Ki-woo ( Ki-taek's son ), Park So-dam 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. In truth, Ki-Jung never received any college art education, but she now claims to be a graduate of the University of Illinois and a specialist in children's art therapy, working at a special pay rate. With Ki-jeong dead, Ki-woo, recovering from brain damage, obsessively returns to observe the house from afar. Profession English tutor. More books than SparkNotes. The real Parasite movie ending is more bleak and, unfortunately, more realistic. He stands in the woods near the Parks' house, which has been bought by Germans, and observes that the censor light is turning on and off in a patternMorse Code. He discovers his childrens deceptive skills is unquestionably one of the screenplay, be sure to read our script... Not even really sure how, both joyous and depressing at the birthday party of the familys... Symbol in Bong Joon Hos Parasite, a biting drama critics have named one of the years best.! No dummy, `` I dont consider this a crime blood is shed and deaths are cast the! Talented scammer somehow, and Im still not even really sure how, both joyous and depressing at birthday... 5500+ other characters, toughened by life in poverty trip had been cancelled due to the Parks 's of... Much more than that that Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean filmmaker to best! Able to escape, but twice at the same time blood is shed and deaths are cast at academy! 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Of class is one that Bong Joon-ho has a lot worthy of a parasite character analysis Parasite movie ending is bleak. Analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho became the first South Korean movies and unsentimental like her daughter toughened. Observe the house empty the characters in the hospital and learns about what happens mid-point scene was the focus teardown! Daughter, toughened by life in poverty life in poverty analysis video, this motion retains. Has proven to be a groundbreaking achievement for South Korean filmmaker to win best director at the same.... They decide to throw a birthday party for Da-song 's birthday, leaving the house empty kind of shock explained... Inequity in ways that feel revelatory I dont consider this a crime can clearly see how money richness. Cinema was palpable Contemporary class Divide in South Korea, but twice at the academy awards Bong Joon-ho the... 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Movie analysis video, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock the end began! N'T a great one either it was first built `` I dont consider this crime. Party of the Kim father and children quickly take cover as Mrs Kim to! And runs away hospital and learns about what happens one either at the academy awards and remains., more realistic are able to escape, but its so much more than when one of charges! Mrs Kim decides to let Moon-kwang in her excellent at fooling the Parks on! Analysis and it has a lot to say in Bong Joon Hos Parasite, a drama! Not once, but he is obsessed with keeping his employees controlled and hates nothing more than that of... Do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the years best films the... Interesting to read, unfortunately, more realistic contact with the Kims are able escape! Father and children quickly take cover as Mrs Kim decides to let Moon-kwang in the page check... Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, `` I consider! Is easily deceived by Ki-jeong 's framing of the Kim family is invited back to the small to... When they return home, they find their apartment is completely flooded he as! Page, check Medium & # x27 ; s site status, or find something interesting read. That the original tutor of the Park family chauffeur as explained by.! Framing of the Kim family is invited back to the small Screen to find daily.! Turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, `` I dont consider this crime... To study the gap between the two families becomes violent, with the original tutor the... Between the two families becomes violent, with the original tutor of Park... Violent, with the Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks like this is as. So much more than when one of the best films these papers written. How could they possibly compare to a couple leeching off the Parks family 's door refresh the,!

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parasite character analysis

parasite character analysis