Parasite (기생충: Gisaengchung)

The director, Bong Joon Ho, is known as one of the most popular director for both critics and audience in Korea. His representative movies are "Memories of Murder", "The Host", "Snowpiercer" and "Okja". Most movies are describing contradiction or irony in various circumstance with diverse characters. Sometimes the movies are kindly explained for audience, but sometimes those could be a bit difficult to understand all twists in them. Since his movies are always becoming hot potato, his movies are called as own "Bong Joon Ho genre" and people also nicknamed him as "Bongtail" since his movies and scripts are very detailed even with small parts in scenes.  

 

"Parasite" is his 7th directed film, and this won Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival 2019, and audienece is continously increasing upto 1 million views in Korea at the 4th week of screening.
 

 

My review is, "Twisted aspiration and piercing encounter to barriers" with 5 scores out of 5.

 

catch phrase says, "Happiness gets bigger when it shared more"

 

 

 

 

 

<Spoiler alert>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Story begins with Mr. Kim's family, and shows how they much they are trying to make more money from rich family, Mr. Park's. With many incidence, the movie shows how they status and emotions are interacting and changed.

 

If you like thriller (not horror) twisted sarcasm about the society, you will love this movie.

This isn't for action, block busters, or any horror movie lovers.

 

This is very creepy and direct movie to show the ironies between their levels, wealth, and environment. Movie shows the smell as the most distinctive element, line as the boundary, and direction as their level. Mr. Park's house has many steps with very high wall while the Mr. Kim's house is semi-basement under the ground, which seems ambiguous status at the beginning.

It begins with poor Mr. Kim's family situation, and shows how they are using Mr. Park's family for their benefit. With all disguised mind and attitude, each characters' selfish inner mind come out and radical emotion gets mixed thru many incidents.

 

This movie makes you uncomfortable. Or it pushed you to face the perspectives that you don't want to agree with. Gradual increase of tense and burst of the emotion are keeping you focus on the movie for the long running time.

 

 

My best scenes

 

1. Kicking the previous housekeeper to the basement when Mr. Park's family arrived.

• All tense increased, and this scene was after thunderstorm and lightening scene. It seems like to demonstrate the dramatic changes from positive side to negative side, which makes you assume something will come. I was almost holding my breath until this scene and also music also help to increase all tense up.
• Also this seems that the dispute between The Kim and previous housekeeper is sorrowful fight within the poor group, which seems the parasites are fighting to take over the host, when the host doesn’t know what will come.

 

2. Crawling on the floor and stopping in the dark slightly avoiding flash light

• When the Mr. Park's son stays in the tent outside, Mr. Kim's family hid under the living room table, and Mr. Kim quietly escapes there after Mr. Park's couple fell asleep on the couch.
• All of sudden, Mr. Park's son flashes the light to the living room and Mr. Kim stops on the floor, exposing whole body, but his body is nearly covered under the shade.
• This scene reminded me when I found the cockroach and saw (of felt) them not moving in the dark.

 

3. In the rain, Mr. Kim's family's escape

• When Mr. Kim's family are escaping, it is raining so heavily, and they are running toward to downside, seems like they are getting sucked into the drain. Although they tried to climb up to the rich area, this scene was telling that they are not belong to there, and then even their home sweet home was overflowed by heavy rain.
• At the very steep stairs, when Ki-woo stopped and stared the waterfall between his legs, I fell heavy depression that there are something it wouldn't work no matter what the character do such as water always falls downward.

 

 

4. Ki-jung's smoking on the toilet

• I believed that even within Mr. Kim's family, each character shows their ambitions and attitude toward their goals. Mr. Kim, the father, was the one who believes the no plan is the best plan, which made him in the even deeper than his previous house. However, Ki-jung's role was the most intelligent character to Mr. Park's family, and she even disguised her role with the strict acting to the previous housekeeper. 
• Thus, this scene seems to mean Ki-jung's denial to be back to her ruined house, keeping sewage pressed, and smoking. Ironically, this toilet could be the highest spot at their basement house, and this shows Ki-jung's aspiration still stays with their lies. It was so disgusting but also extremely sad scene.
• The mom, Chung-sook, and the son, Ki-woo, are shown as indecisive characters between the dad and the daughter. Later, Ki-woo finally makes a serious move, but following incident is telling like that move was out of his capability.

 

 

Other impressions

• The tone of pizza owner when she is claiming Mr. Kim's tasks, she seems to make strong voice with dignity, seems like she doesn't want to belong to the same level as Mr. Kim's family.
• After Mr. Kim's family starts to make some money, their dinner and beer are upgraded.
• When housekeeper wakes Ms. Park in the garden, the scene is divided by many lines of window and stairs. Seems like it shows the act the housekeeper goes over the line. 

 

 

Still confused,

• Does the stone imply all incident? Then is the stone fake? Not sure if it floated on the water when flooded.
• Does Mr. Park's daughter not smell anything from Ki-woo because she is blinded in love?
• Why Ki-jung selected as the victim? It seems coincident but maybe it shows her aspiration is too strongly exposed? Like the parasite is killed by vaccine, I am not sure this was the reason.
• Is Ki-woo's friend also described as one of parasite? Why would he introduce such a good opportunity to Ki-woo? Didn't he know Ki-woo is not in Mr. Park's league?

 

Hope things make sense to you as well. Happy to share opinoins.