Follow along with the Parasite script as StudioBinder is used to recreate what the actual script breakdown may have looked like. Mr and Mrs Park make themselves comfortable on the couch as our protagonists nervously wait for an opportunity to sneak out. Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living in Park family's beautiful mansion in the wealthy neighborhoods of Seoul, South Korea. Official synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Once the entire Kim family is employed in the Park household, the lower-class con-artists begin to assume more and more of this fabricated identity of wealth. Ki-woo hasnt yet executed the vision, recalling his fathers earlier advice that the only way to fulfill a plan is to not make one at all. In a trance-like state as his daughter is bleeding out on the ground, Mr Kim is triggered by Mr Parks balking at the stench and fatally stabs him in the chest before running out the house. If you are interested in reading through the rest of the script, you can find it below. Hes going to get his whole family into this house. Ki-taek, who is hiding under the table, hears Mr. Park discuss his unsavory smell. The film constantly threatens to come apartto take one convoluted turn too many in ways that sink the projectbut Bong holds it all together, and the result is breathtaking. Official Screenwriting Blog of The Black List. The entire plot of the film was completely unexpected and otherworldly, giving the audience a great sense of uneasiness and formication. 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. This article was published more than3 years ago, Note: This story, as one might assume from its headline, contains major spoilers for Parasite.. "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 . There is more to Da-song than meets the eye. The neighbourhood fumigator arrives, and Mr Kim instructs his family to leave the windows open to enjoy a free fumigation for his house. When you move up the ladder, someone else has to be displaced. 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. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. Not affiliated with Harvard College. 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. These themes cross all cultural-barriers and can speak to the 99% anywhere in the world. How to Capture the Perfect Light. 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. 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. This simple, comedic entry sets up the level of poverty that the Kim family faces. Lee Jeong-eun, who plays Moon-Gwang the housekeeper, also provided the vocalization for Okja the super pig in Bong Joon-hos previous film. Bong Joon-ho 's masterful film Parasite is a wicked and brutal satire about wealth disparity. Be sure to watch our video essay on the scene for more detail and deeper Parasite analysis. Not only does she completely fall for Ki-woo's masquerading as an English tutor to Da-hye, but she proceeds to hire every other member of the Kim family without doing very much due diligence. Here are our rankings of the most intelligent and least intelligent characters. The thought that the panties were placed their intentionally to sabotage the chauffeur did not even cross Mr Parks mind. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal 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. The first half of Parasite plays out largely as a comedy-drama with a compelling narrative and thought-provoking themes. describe ki-woo. The scene where we discover the bunker easily has the highest tension of all scenes in the movie. 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. (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!). Small things, such as the Kim family opening their windows as their neighbourhood is fumigated in order to rid their own apartment of pests, or drunkards that liked to piss on their basement windows at night, were double-edged jokes that combined absurdist humour with sly details of the familys desperation and socio-economic plight. 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. Let me know if, like me, you wanted to re-watch the film from the top immediately after it ended. 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. Mr Park (Lee Sun-gyun) is clever enough to question that fact that leaving panties behind in a car is not something normal, even in the throes of forbidden fornication. 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. 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. Guen-sae manages to get the jump on Ki-woo after he fails to murderGuen-sae with the rock given by Min. Mrs. Park is a beautiful, wealthy, and ditzy head-of-household who prides herself on not being able to do domestic chores. The Parks suddenly call, informing Mrs Kim that they would be arriving home in 8 minutes. Character Analysis. Over the course of a few pulse-quickening scenes, and unbeknown to the Parks, Chung-sook critically injures Moon-gwang by pushing her down the stairs, and Ki-taek traps Geun-se in the bunker. 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. GradeSaver "Parasite Summary". Ki-woo Kim (Choi Woo-Shik) is a young man living in poverty in the slums of a nameless South Korean city with his family - father Ki-taek Kim (Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook Kim (Jang Hye-jin), and sister Ki-jung (Park So-dam). 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. Mr Kim, already an accepting and adaptable character, was unknowingly triggered by Mr Parks reaction to Moon-kwangs husband as his pent-up resentment comes crashing through. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes. The family also laments that the rich are only nice because money is like an iron it irons out all the creases in your life, making life smooth and untainted. Here, the director drags out the scenes of the Kim family running, down, down, down several flights of stairs to reach their neighbourhood. Your email address will not be published. To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here. Its both a literal and metaphorical depiction of just how far removed the Park family and Kim familys circumstances are, and how far down the class divide the Kim family are from the Parks. Im sure we all notice that the people around us have their own unique smells, but our minds and senses are bogged down with so much information as adults that we tend to dismiss tiny details like this. 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. Relationship Status single without any signs of romance. "Parasite" concludes where it begins, in the semi-basement apartment. The flooding sequence, as depicted on the poster, also illustrates how the wealthy are unaffected by many of the debilitating circumstances that affect the lower classes as they are, quite literally, above the trouble. Please go catch the movie in the cinema before it ends its run. 5 Parasite Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living in a smelly semi-basement located in the slums of Seoul, South Korea. They take the affluent home as their own while the Parks are away and thats when Moon-gwang shows back up and everything changes. What is Mumblecore? But, probably because of his age, his parents don't take his observation very seriously, to their ultimate doom. Its at this stage that the film makes you realise that no matter how low on the ladder of destitution the Kim family was (before they got employed by the Parks), there is always someone on the rung below you. She takes great pride in her work as a housekeeper, and loses her job unexpectedly after the Kims make her peach allergy look like active tuberculosis. 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. Mr. Park is the head of the Park household. For a quick breakdown on satire, including a segment on Parasite, here's an explainer that will answer all your questions about how satire works. Mr Kim is visibly affected, even sniffing his own shirt. They didn't fold the Pizza boxes correctly. Please enable Javascript and hit the button below! Of the Kim family members, she is the most talented scammer. For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here. A third leads to the upper floor of the Parks stylish home. But rather than leaving viewers in this dreamy state, Bong pinches them and returns to the apartment. Mr Kim is the most nonchalant about their misfortunes, even as their house is flooded, leaving the Kims homeless. When a fluke of luck gets the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), a job as an English tutor for the wealthy Park familys daughter, the lives of the two families start to intertwine in comedic, dramatic, and eventually, disastrous ways. Chung-sook is the matriarch of the Kim family. Ki-woo wakes up in the hospital and learns about what happens. How could they possibly compare to a couple leeching off the Parks like this? 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. Can the poor really just step into the world of the rich? It perfectly encapsulated each moment of the film, whether it was absurdist humour, dark humour, escalating tension, or setting the tone for future revelations. These two powerhouse awards ceremonies rarely overlap and are comprised of entirely different audiences and judges and with entirely different viewing criteria and preferences. 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. Guen-sae may not be the brightest of the bunch, but he's not entirely an idiot either. Even my boyfriend, whos no cinephile, was thoroughly impressed by the film and we spent the next hour or so discussing it. He soon discovers, however, that Mr. Park does not like his smell, and feels deflated by this insult. Interests smoking. When Ki-woo goes into the basement, Geun-sae attacks him and bludgeons him in the head with the rock. BEWARE OF SPOILERS. 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. The film is obviously a social commentary on the class divide in South Korea, but its so much more than that. Same thing with script and movie analysis: Look at each character and think about why they exist and what their function is. 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 Analysis: Navigating the Shift At its exact mid-point, Parasite undergoes a massive tonal shift. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. Ki-jeong manages to gain the trust of the young Da-song, and was even the last person to show compassion towards Moon-kwang and her husband, offering to bring them food when theyre trapped in the basement. After getting referred for a tutoring gig, he orchestrates a plan in which his whole family begins working for the same wealthy family. When Ki-taek throws the keys, they land under Geun-sae, who is fighting with Chung-sook. The Parks go on a camping trip for Da-song's birthday, leaving the house empty. To take advantage of all of CharacTours features, you need your own personal Their camping trip had been cancelled due to the heavy downpour. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. At every point, the viewer understands whose perspective were supposed to follow due to the tracking shots as we move with each character. Improving the family's financial situation is the most important goal for Ki-Woo, and he remains hopeful of his future. GradeSaver, 21st Century Haves, Haves-not: Bong Joon-Ho's Commentary on Contemporary Class Divide in Parasite. 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. When Moon-gwang tries to ascend the stairs and reveal herself, Chung-sook kicks her down, concussing and killing her. as an art student at a middle-class family. Ill do my best because Bong Joon-hos Parasite is unquestionably one of the best films of the year. The only truly faultless character in the film is the young Park Da-song. Synopsis. As Moon-kwangs husband and Mrs Kim struggle, Mrs Kim manages to stab Moon-kwangs husband through the abdomen with a skewer. Youve never seen a movie quite like Parasite. Dammit. If he is ever caught, he may suffer the death penalty for committing a murder. Just trust me on this one. Yeon-gyo is a well-meaning mother and wife, but she's rather gullible. He is traumatised not once, but twice at the sight of Moon-kwangs husband, and is also the youngest and most innocent character. 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parasite character analysis