parasite character analysis

Writing Exercise: Think about each character. 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. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Grew up. The most interesting part of this dynamic film is the variety of characters. The article breaks down how to identify and breakdown set elements in a screenplay. Chung-sook is the matriarch of the Kim family. The Question and Answer section for Parasite is a great They take the affluent home as their own while the Parks are away and thats when Moon-gwang shows back up and everything changes. Mr Kim is eventually condemned to live and hide in the bunker, truly fulfilling the parasite-like behaviour of leeching of its host at someone elses expense. But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. Mr Park yells for Mr Kim to throw him the car keys, which unfortunately get stuck under Moon-kwangs husbands body as he falls. *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!! Parasite: Every Main Character Ranked By Intelligence, Parasite: 7 Reasons It's Bong Joon-Ho's Best Movie (& 7 It's Not), The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked, 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone), Parasite: D&D Alignments Of The Main Characters. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. RELATED: 5 Reasons Why HBO's Parasite Is A Good Idea (& 5 Why The Movie Should Be Left Alone). describe ki-woo. As with great stories, every seeming-antagonist has their own reasons for doing what they do, making it nearly impossible to clearly identify an antagonist as we sympathise with their actions. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. With Ki-jeong dead, Ki-woo, recovering from brain damage, obsessively returns to observe the house from afar. As she cynically comments, "It's the basement smell. Dong-ik isn't a terrible guy, but he isn't a great one either. 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. Just trust me on this one. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parasite by Bong Joon-ho. The film is packed with social commentary, thrilling moments, and plenty of meaty writing worthy of a full , FREE: StudioBinders Screenwriting Software , The Ultimate Guide to Call Sheets (with FREE Call Sheet Template), How to Break Down a Script (with FREE Script Breakdown Sheet), The Only Shot List Template You Need with Free Download, Managing Your Film Budget Cashflow & PO Log (Free Template), A Better Film Crew List Template Booking Sheet, Best Storyboard Softwares (with free Storyboard Templates), What is an Antagonist in a Story Definition & Examples, What is Telos: The Ultimate Guide to Understand Telos for Video Marketing, What is an Anecdote Definition, Examples, and Functions, What is a Memoir Definition, Examples in Literature & Film. 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. In our Parasite movie analysis video, this mid-point scene was the focus. Mrs Kim taking advantage of the open lawn to practice her hammer-throw skills, at the expense of someones window. 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. RELATED: The 10 Worst Family Movies Of All Time, Ranked. 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. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. 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. 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. I noticed that the house, the main setting for the plot, is always perceived by the audience in wide shots to show the expanse of space available. Writers can shade and shape a storys character in limitless ways. 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. Living in a state-of-art mansion. "Parasite" is a marvelously entertaining film in terms of narrative, but theres also so much going on underneath about how the rich use the poor to survive in ways that I cant completely spoil here (the best writing about this movie will likely come after its released). For his family members' employment, Ki-Woo manipulates the Parks into firing their original chauffeur and housekeeper without much thought about what will happen next. The musty smell follows Ki-Jung wherever she visits, revealing her poverty. The second half of Parasite is one of the most daring things Ive seen in years narratively. Moon-kwang reveals that a large cabinet in the basement is actually hiding the entrance to a secret underground bunker, where her husband (Park Myung-hoon) had been living in secret the past few years. 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. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. Even my boyfriend, whos no cinephile, was thoroughly impressed by the film and we spent the next hour or so discussing it. Required fields are marked *. Its perfectly ironic how the film has come full circle, with Mr Kim taking the place of Moon-kwangs husband in the bunker. Yes, he receives help from Ki-jeong and Ki-woo with the peaches, but he is the one who must do the talking afterward. After he gets the job, Ki-Woo proceeds to fetch employment for the rest of his family members--sister Ki-Jung as an art tutor, father Ki-Teak as a chauffeur, and lastly mom Chung-Sook as a housekeeper. What is the movie Parasite about? has many answers. She likes to play games with Ki-taek, calling him a cockroach and belittling him, as part of their marital dynamic. Ki-woo as the Park daughters English tutor, Ki-jeong as the Park sons art tutor/therapist, Mr Kim as the familys chauffeur, and Mrs Kim as the housekeeper. as Ki-jung ( Ki-taek's daughter ), Chang Hyae-jin Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. Please go catch the movie in the cinema before it ends its run. Now, the exquisite building is home to Yeon-Kyo, her husband Dong-Ik, and her two children. Cockroaches and insects are seen around the house, and at some point, Mr Kim even flicks a stink bug off the table, foreshadowing a larger plot point further on. Kim Ki-woos life changes when a friend offers to recommend him as an English tutor for a girl hes been working with as the friend has to go out of the country for a while. Living in a small, musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. 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. Now that he is both her tutor and her boyfriend, he dreams of an affluent future as her husband. 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. He's pretty checked out as to what's going on in his home until it's ready to smack him in the face. Youve never seen a movie quite like Parasite. Dammit. "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 . 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. 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. Outside of the sub-basement, violence erupts, and the prophetic scholars stone becomes an instrument of violence. Parasite exploded this past weekend on Oscar night when it became the first international film to win four Academy Awards, including the coup de grace, Best Picture. Parasite director Bong Joon-hos insightful and engaging comedy/thriller became one of the most talked-about films of the year and set a new precedent for the mark a South Korean movie can leave on United States movie-going audiences. It is the only common factor between the Parks' young boy and Ki-Woo. BEWARE OF SPOILERS. The crime of the Park family is being unsympathetic, rude and selfish, despite their niceties and naivety. (Note: One of these ranked characters is a huge spoiler for one of the plot's biggest twists, so if you still haven't seenParasite, get on it and then come back and read this!). Ki-woo is the son of the Kim family, a smart and ambitious young man who feels held back by poverty. Living in a musty semi-basement in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. As silly an instruction this is, the Kim family respects his wishes and starts to comedically choke and cough as the fumes fill up their apartment, with only Mr Kim indifferent to the toxic fumes. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The Kims soon settle into their comfortable new life working for the Parks. Personality driven and flexible. 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. Not just because the film went full circle with Mr Kim hiding out in the bunker, forever condemned to hide and steal from the houses occupants, but also due to the small hints dropped throughout the film: Its also difficult to identify the main antagonist of the film. As she scurries into the basement escorted by Mrs Kim, the rest of the Kims-in-hiding surreptitiously follow. The metaphorical themes are presented in as literal a way as possible with the act of this stabbing. The main themes are capitalism, deception, and violence. Parasite Genre Shift Subscribe on YouTube The operatic music and effects when Mrs Park spotted Moon-kwang coughing into a tissue as she ascends the stairs into the house. And then Bong takes a hard right turn that asks us what were watching and sends us hurtling to bloodshed. Here, the director drags out the scenes of the Kim family running, down, down, down several flights of stairs to reach their neighbourhood. Ki-woo cant seem to let go of the decorative rock, a symbol of his constant yearning for stability. Yeon-Kyo enjoys a calm and relaxing life in the mansion. For more Parasite movie analysis, check out our article on how Bong Joon-ho creates meaning through set dressing. The films accolades speak for itself it won the prestigious Palme dOr award at this years Cannes Film Festival, which is an award of the highest order at one of the worlds most renowned film festivals. The Kim family lives in a semi-basement and struggles to keep food on the table. Kim's familywill be reminded of that chasm and the cruelty of inequity in ways you couldnt possibly predict. Review: Class warfare is on full display in director Bong Joon-hos provocative Parasite. Just as he called Snowpiercer his film about class revolution set in a dystopia his "hallway movie," he has called Parasite his "stairway movie." It is an upstairs-downstairs film that. 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. Ki-woos friend is actually in love with the Park daughter, proclaiming that he would officially date her once she enters university, and that he trusts no one else to be her stand-in tutor except for Ki-woo. It speaks wonders to Parasites accessibility that it was received so well with such widely varying viewers. Parasite has a lot worthy of analysis and it has a lot to say. The entire Kim family, beginning with Ki-woo, soon scam their way into different jobs for the Park family. The scene where we discover the bunker easily has the highest tension of all scenes in the movie. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. Official synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. 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. You would think that maybe before you hire someone else, you stop to think if maybe your household staff is disappearing faster than usual? 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. It is one of the most effective satires in recent memory. When Da-song wants to sleep in a tent outside, Mr. and Mrs. Park sleep on the couch to watch over him. Eventually, the Kims are able to escape, but when they return home, they find their apartment is completely flooded. At this stage, a creepy sense of foreboding has set in. The original housekeeper, Moon-gwang (Lee Jung Eun), displaced by the scheme, turns up at the home while the Parks are away and begs the Kims to allow her husband, Geun-se (Park Myeong-hoon), to continue living there after they discover him. Mrs. Park is a beautiful, wealthy, and ditzy head-of-household who prides herself on not being able to do domestic chores. Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-contending "Parasite" masterfully explores class divisions in Korea with voyeuristic delight. 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. 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. 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. GradeSaver "Parasite Characters". He has held a bunch of different jobs, working as a valet and at a bakery, but struggles to provide for his family. Surprisingly, Ki-Woo turns out skilled in his artifice: as Ki-Woo explains, "I dont consider this a crime. Guen-sae may not be the brightest of the bunch, but he's not entirely an idiot either. 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. Its revealed that as Mr Kim escapes the house, he realises where he must go back into the house, into the bunker, to hide out for the remainder of his life. Let me know if, like me, you wanted to re-watch the film from the top immediately after it ended. After their home is flooded, Ki-taek tells his son that it is best to never have a plan, since plans never work out the way one expects. as Yeon-kyo ( Mr. Park's wife ), Choi Woo-shik Parasite was the first film since Marty in 1955 to win the top prize of both The Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival. On his birthday, a day like today, he had snuck down to the kitchen to eat his birthday cake, but Moon-kwangs husband had snuck up the basement stairs and made eye contact with Da-song. What ensues from this point on is a chaotic, discordant frenzy, where the tension set from the moment we discover the hidden bunker never eases. 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. 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. 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. As with every film, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so my interpretation here may be different from yours. Perhaps he had just gone crazy, but choosing to go after more of the Kim family guaranteed that he would either be killed himself or that he'd land behind bars. 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. Watch over him Seoul, South Korea as Ki-woo explains, `` I dont consider this a crime tutor. 10 Worst family Movies of All scenes in the slums of Seoul South... 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