A highlight of the film for me that cannot go uncredited was the music and score. The only thing I can think of is that the original housekeeper was in contact with the original tutor of the family. as Yeon-kyo ( Mr. Park's wife ), Choi Woo-shik Wealth has rendered her completely helpless, and she often spends her days napping on the couch or purchasing items for the house. He is obsessed with keeping his employees controlled and hates nothing more than when one of his charges "crosses the line." However, she has no ill intentions, and can even be credited for saving Ki-woo after he was attacked by Moon-kwangs husband. There are plenty of examples of subtle foreshadowing all throughout this opening act that circle back around by the end of the film. Geun-se worshiped Mr. Park and his professional success but continued to live beneath him. Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-contending "Parasite" masterfully explores class divisions in Korea with voyeuristic delight. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. Ki-taek, who is hiding under the table, hears Mr. Park discuss his unsavory smell. Maybe its the crazy eyes, the receding hairline, the fact that he manually presses buttons on the bunker wall to turn on individual lights on the entrance staircase into the house (to show his gratitude towards Mr Park for providing for him, but giving the Parks the impression that the lights at the staircase were always sensor lights), or just plainly the fact that hes a fucking mole person hiding out in someones house. Nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, this Korean film certainly has a wide fanbase all over North America. Hence my principle: Character = Function. Can the poor really just step into the world of the rich? Improving the family's financial situation is the most important goal for Ki-Woo, and he remains hopeful of his future. She does an excellent job getting the house back in order before the Park family returns and discovers Moon-gwang and her husband, but she's unable to stop what's coming by then. The Parks suddenly call, informing Mrs Kim that they would be arriving home in 8 minutes. The family seems to be a tight-knit, supportive group. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Director Bong Joon-Ho himself has described Parasite as a cross-genre film, dipping its toes into the regions of dark comedy, satire, thriller and family drama. This simple, comedic entry sets up the level of poverty that the Kim family faces. 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. 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. Why he trusts Kim Ki-woo given what we know and learn about him is a valid question. Today we discuss the characters in the script for Parasite. Cho Yeo-jeong To download a PDF of the breakdown for Parasite, go here. The visual effects Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living in a state-of-art mansion. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal While attending a birthday party for the Parks young son, Da-song (Jung Hyeon Jun), Ki-woo heads to the bunker carrying a heavy scholar stone he once received as a gift intended to bring his family material wealth. One set of stairs descends to the central Kim familys dingy semi-basement apartment in modern-day Seoul, while another ascends to the front door of the ultrawealthy Park family, for whom the cash-strapped Kims work. Parasite dominated the Academy Award, including a Best Picture win. 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. This causes Da-song to faint, and Mr. Park (Lee Sun Kyun) immediately demands that Ki-taek drive them to the hospital instead of tending to Ki-jung. However, she makes a grave mistake by letting Moon-gwang back into the Park family home, thereby unleashing a Pandora's box she can't close. 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. 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. Director Bong Joon-Ho himself has described Parasite as a cross-genre film, dipping its toes into the regions of dark comedy, satire, thriller and family drama. And every single element of the film from the scholars stone, to the architecture of the homes, to the very names of the families all contribute to this central theme. So how do critics convey when a film truly is unexpectedly, brilliantly unpredictable in ways that feel revelatory? This paper aims to study the gap between the rich and poor reflected in movie Parasite. Their camping trip had been cancelled due to the heavy downpour. Moon-gwang begs Chung-sook not to say anything to the Parks, but Chung-sook threatens to tell them. Major kudos to Olivia Ramirez for doing this weeks scene-by-scene breakdown. The film centers on two families, one poor and one rich and the interactions between them that end explosively. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. Parasite essays are academic essays for citation. The local pizza shop informs the Kims that one in four of the pizza boxes they folded were faulty and could not be used. Guen-sae may not be the brightest of the bunch, but he's not entirely an idiot either. 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. It is somehow, and Im still not even really sure how, both joyous and depressing at the same time. 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. A major plot driving interaction arrives in the form of Ki-woos friend, who gifts an ornamental rock to the Kim family that can supposedly deliver wealth, and also offers Ki-woo his job as an English tutor for the Park familys daughter as hes travelling overseas. "Parasite" concludes where it begins, in the semi-basement apartment. Suddenly, the Kims fall down the stairs of the bunker in a pile, after listening in on the conversation. Because I plan on going to this school next year." And by the time she's left the Park family home, she is already making her next play by taking off her underwear and hiding them discreetly, but not so discreet that they can't be found by Dong-ik. as Ki-jung ( Ki-taek's daughter ), Chang Hyae-jin Moon-Gwangs return to the house and eventual reveal of the secret basement keeps us on the edges of our seats as viewers and seamlessly blends from the drama/comedy centered first half into the thriller/tragedy centered latter half. 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. Moon-Gwang has been living in the mansion as the architect's housekeeper since it was first built. These themes cross all cultural-barriers and can speak to the 99% anywhere in the world. 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. For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here. 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. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ The second half of Parasite is one of the most daring things Ive seen in years narratively. More books than SparkNotes. 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. The operatic music and effects when Mrs Park spotted Moon-kwang coughing into a tissue as she ascends the stairs into the house. The rock is ultimately Ki-woos downfall. The cultural swell around Parasite is much deserved and hopefully leads more audience members to check out Parasite director Bong Joon-hos previous films and more South Korean cinema in general. Parasite is a South Korean movie from 2019 filled with numerous themes, all being the fault of a patriarchal and hierarchical society we have created. Mrs. Park is a beautiful, wealthy, and ditzy head-of-household who prides herself on not being able to do domestic chores. It is a tonal juggling act that first feels like a satirea comedy of manners that bounces a group of lovable con artists off a very wealthy family of awkward eccentrics. 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. 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. Mr Park yells for Mr Kim to throw him the car keys, which unfortunately get stuck under Moon-kwangs husbands body as he falls. Ki-jeong is usually one step ahead of Ki-woo and really solidifies getting the Kim family into the Park family home. The film's setup has a poor family, the Kims, infiltrating the lives of a wealthy family, the . Parasite Character List Ki-woo Ki-woo is the son of the Kim family, a smart and ambitious young man who feels held back by poverty. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. For years the country has been producing some of the finest films and directors in the world of cinema, but Parasite has crossed new milestones in terms of global impact. The characters are a reason for the success and we've ranked how smart they are. She is seamless in her execution and rarely makes a misstep. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". We even learn that Moon-kwangs husband, like Mr Kim, also had a failed business venture in a cake shop. He fatally wounds Ki-jeong, stabbing her through the chest as the party guests erupt into panic and scatter. She likes to play games with Ki-taek, calling him a cockroach and belittling him, as part of their marital dynamic. as Ki-woo ( Ki-taek's son ), Park So-dam In his art, Da-song perfectly captures the mans relentless gaze, and even his receding hairline. The Kim family moves in for the weekend and luxuriates. 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. ki-woo's sister, smart and tough, gains the upper hand with mrs. park by expressing expertise and confidence, says she . Perhaps Ki-jeong being killed off was due to her death having the most significant impact on the family and on the viewer. It was definitely worth all the $9.50 (Grab movie voucher for Cathay :P) I spent to get the full cinematic experience, and I would definitely watch it again (once I recover from the mental scars it left on me). Mr Park runs over to Moon-kwangs husband and pushes his body aside to retrieve the car key, but not before he wrinkles his nose at the smell that Moon-kwangs husband exudes. It seemed intentional that the director lingered on this frame for a moment, hinting at a more sinister development to come. The Park daughter is not entirely faultless; she seduces Ki-woo and her previous English tutor as well (Ki-woos friend), with Ki-woo even proclaiming the same pledge made by his friend that he would officially date her once she enters university. 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. Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. Living in a state-of-art mansion. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. Mr Kim manages to trap Moon-kwang and her husband in the basement and quickly returns to join his family hiding in the living room. Find out how you match to her and 5500+ other characters. Read the script for the award-winning foreign film and analyze all week. But unlike so many upstairs-downstairs films, theres nuance to Bongs depiction of the lower class, largely because of the addition of the secret bunker. Not affiliated with Harvard College. And theres a reason the Kim apartment is halfway undergroundtheyre caught between worlds, stuck in the growing chasm between the haves and the have nots. Their credentials were just as questionable as hers were. I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this weeks script: Parasite. Its here we can clearly see how money and richness have made the Parks blind and naive. Same thing with script and movie analysis: Look at each character and think about why they exist and what their function is. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family live on the edge of poverty. Buy TVs. Electronics prices are defying inflation. Prior to Parasite in 2019, his most focused social commentary on class was found in his 2013 film Snowpiercer which saw the lower class positioned at the back of a train in squalid conditions while the wealthy lived large at the head of the train. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes. To explain Parasites ending, we turn to the directors own words: You know and I know - we all know that this kid isn't going to be able to buy that house. The sense of dread that the husband instills doesnt pay off until the end of the movie. The Kims get trapped in the house, hiding under the coffee table when the Parks arrive home. 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. The script for "Parasite" will get a ton of attention as it's one of those clever twisting and turning tales for which the screenwriter gets the most credit (Bong and Han Jin-won, in this case), but this is very much an exercise in visual language that reaffirms Bong as a master.Working with the incredible cinematographer Kyung-pyo Hong ("Burning," "Snowpiercer") and an A-list . 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. Bonus points: sharing my fave moments only, because every scene in the movie is priceless. Scott Myers 41K Followers Follow More from Medium Scott Myers in Go Into The Story However, if I had to pinpoint one member who would be the eponymous parasite, it would have to be Mr Kim. The brilliant set dressing of Parasite combined with the striking architectural-design choices perfectly reinforce the themes of the film, but more on the themes after we finish our Parasite summary. Writers can shade and shape a storys character in limitless ways. "Parasite"is so perfectly calibrated that theres joy to be had in just experiencing every confident frame of it, but then thats tempered by thinking about what Bong is unpacking here and saying about society, especially with the perfect, absolutely hauntingfinal scenes. 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