Parasite: An Intricate Masterpiece Depicting Class Conflict

Mia Pierre

04/28/2023

While Bong Joon-ho’s satirical drama, “Parasite”, is not for the faint of heart, it illustrates a social commentary centered around the symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family, and the impoverished Kim family. Every time you sit down to watch this film, you will find surprising new details, revealing the many layers to this complex story.

The film is centered around the Kim family, who faces economic instability in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Kim Ki-taek (Kang Ho Song) is the father of the Kim clan, and despite the unfortunate circumstances, he remains oddly optimistic and easy-going. His wife (Jang Hye-jin) perfectly contradicts his disposition and is strong-willed and sarcastic. Their oldest son, Kim Ki-woo (Choi Wooshik) is driven to bring success to his family, and the youngest member of the family, Kim Ki-jung (Park So-dam) is cunning, and cynical, making her the perfect candidate for taking advantage of the naive Park family.

When the Parks, a young affluent family, are in need of a new tutor for their daughter, Ki-woo takes this opportunity to try and pull his family up the economic ladder. As each member of the Park family staff is introduced, a parallel is drawn between their own roles, and the equivalent within the Kim family. As they weave their way into the Parks’ home through deception and planning, they begin to learn more of the dark secrets held within the walls of the Park family residence.

Bong Joon-ho’s unmatched ability to shift between different tones and stories within a singular scene is not to be missed in this film. Every scene is laden with layers of symbolism and suspense. Details even as small as the food that the Park family eats underline the disparity between rich and poor. The “ramdon” is a dish made from the combination of cheap packaged ramen, topped with a cut of beef that only the wealthiest could afford. It is this intertwinement of rich and poor that reflects the situation of the two families. The two family’s lives are seemingly different realities existing at the same time, and the Parks have isolated themselves to a world at the top of the city in which the needy are not even a thought.

Possibly the most gut wrenching moment was the parallel between the Kim’s basement home flooding, and the little that they had been washed away by the storm, as the Park parents sit, looking out to the play tent on their perfectly landscaped lawn that withstands the harsh winds and showers. Something as fragile as a mere tent inhabited by their son endures the storm that devastated communities, and set in stone the allocated position of the Kim family on the economic ladder.

The greater commentary on the rigid class structure and jarring differences between rich and poor is not one easily forgotten after watching this movie. Every struggle and event that adversely impacted the Kim family was so easily dismissed or ignored by the Park family. No matter how much the Kim family tried to better themselves and move upward in the world, they were only pushed further down and reminded of their own position in society. It became more and more evident that no matter how much they acted like they were above their own financial status, they were just as lowly as the desperate Oh Geun-sae, played by Park Myung-hoon, whom they tried to set themselves so far apart from. In the end, the question remained of whether it was the Parks or the Kims who were truly the “parasites.”

“Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon-ho, has been rated R for explicit language, violence, gore, and mature content. Running time: 132 minutes. Four out of four stars.