As she scurries into the basement escorted by Mrs Kim, the rest of the Kims-in-hiding surreptitiously follow. Realizing that they are all related, Moon-gwang takes an incriminating video of them and threatens to send it to the Parks. 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. Stick with me here. The rock is ultimately Ki-woos downfall. 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. 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. Although it does not seem likely, Ki-Woo claims he will get admission into an elite university and marry Da-Hye. After struggling to make ends meet folding pizza boxes for a local pizza restaurant, the Kims are visited by one of Ki-woo's wealthier friends, Min-hyuk, who offers to refer him to a job tutoring for a wealthy family, the Parks. Despite their circumstances, you never get the sense that theres any animosity or resentment between them; only a shared discontentment for their living and financial situation. I have so much to say about this film that I was practically overflowing with thoughts for a good 24 hours after watching it. Chung-sook is the matriarch of the Kim family. Moon-Gwang has been living in the mansion as the architect's housekeeper since it was first built. To download a PDF of the breakdown for Parasite, go here. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. At the start of the film, we are introduced to the Kims, a family struggling to live under impoverished conditions. The thought that the panties were placed their intentionally to sabotage the chauffeur did not even cross Mr Parks mind. as Chung-sook ( Ki-taek's wife ), Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Feted at SBIFF 2023, Revisiting Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Tragically Common: Jamie Dack, Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker on Palm Trees and Power Lines. He spoils his son and is rather alienated from his desires and happiness. Characters are the players in our stories. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FILM PLEASE!*. Mr. Park is the head of the Park household. She is easily deceived by Ki-jeong's framing of the Park family chauffeur as explained by Dong-ik. Writing Exercise: Think about each character. Why he trusts Kim Ki-woo given what we know and learn about him is a valid question. Moon-kwang eventually succumbs to a concussion, leading to her husband desperately smashing his head into the light switches in the bunker to signal Help me in Morse code. Both parties have dark secrets, and both threaten to expose the other to the Park family, who remain above all the drama, currently unaware. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. The characters are a reason for the success and we've ranked how smart they are. He is a violent and desperate man, and ends up going on a killing spree after the Kims kill his wife, Moon-gwang. Here are our rankings of the most intelligent and least intelligent characters. Some time ago, she and her husband purchased the beautiful mansion from its architect. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. 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. 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. Maybe you're the one who isn't a good judge of character, Min. 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. Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-contending "Parasite" masterfully explores class divisions in Korea with voyeuristic delight. At this stage, a creepy sense of foreboding has set in. Relationship Status involved with his student Da-Hye. Perhaps Ki-jeong being killed off was due to her death having the most significant impact on the family and on the viewer. Kim's familywill be reminded of that chasm and the cruelty of inequity in ways you couldnt possibly predict. Now, the exquisite building is home to Yeon-Kyo, her husband Dong-Ik, and her two children. 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" concludes where it begins, in the semi-basement apartment. 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. Seeing an opportunity to get his artistically talented sister, Ki-jung, a job, Ki-woo says that he knows someone named "Jessica" who went to college in Illinois, who might be perfect for the job. A short but impactful conversation with Yeon-Kyo (Mrs. Park) was all it took for Ki-Jung to secure the art tutor job for the Park family's young son. All three families at play are damaged by this explosive act of violence. 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. Ki-woo visits the Parks in their gigantic home, where he is introduced to the spacey and out-of-touch Mrs. Park. Parasite is seamless in the way it shuffles moods, tones and genres, and downright Hitchcockian in the way it manipulates your sympathies. The Question and Answer section for Parasite is a great 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 importantly, his failure to dispose of Geun-sae with the rock eventually proves to be not only his undoing but both the Park and Kim families alike. During the hazing scene as the Kim family enjoy free fumigation services, Mr Kim is the only one visibly not affected by the toxic fumes. I interpreted the fortune rock as a satirical symbol of the Kim familys burdens and guilt at the circumstances, literally weighing down Ki-woo and revealing his presence as he drops it when sneaking up on Moon-kwang and her husband. Ki-jeong, Ki-woos sister, is the main brain behind the scam operation that brings in the rest of her family into the Park residence. "Parasite" is a film that follows 10 main characters up close (8 of whom are shown below - the other two are not shown for obvious reasons which will become apparent after you have witnessed the movie) with 10 different "characteristics" that need to be captured in the frame - the looks, the personality, the deep pathos that oozes from each character's situation and by giving us . To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. Reading scripts. When he is given the opportunity to work as Mr. Park's driver, he figures out how to be the best driver he can be, and to provide some light companionship to Mr. Park. After expressing some doubt at the lies he would have to sell to land the tutoring gig, Ki-woo enlists the help of the artistic Ki-jeong to forge university papers for him in order to land the job. 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. The scene where we discover the bunker easily has the highest tension of all scenes in the movie. 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. Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, "I dont consider this a crime. Mr Park yells for Mr Kim to throw him the car keys, which unfortunately get stuck under Moon-kwangs husbands body as he falls. Mr Kim is visibly affected, even sniffing his own shirt. They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. "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. 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. They take on odd jobs for cash like folding pizza boxes, and they rely on unprotected wi-fi networks and street-cleaning pesticides to keep their home insect-free. One of the main reasons why Parasite was such a massive success around the whole world in 2019 is because of its themes and messages of classism and the wealth divide, which are truly universal. He translates the code and realizes that it is a message from his father, who is living in the bunker. Official synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. 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