Lecture Notes: Parasite (2019 South Korean Thriller)

Introduction

• Title: Parasite
• Year: 2019
• Country: South Korea
• Genre: Thriller
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won
• Significance: The film follows a poor family infiltrating a wealthy household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.

Plot Overview

Kim Family

• Members:
  • Song Kang-ho: Father (Kim Ki-taek)
  • Jang Hye-jin: Mother (Chung-sook)
  • Choi Woo-shik: Son (Kim Ki-woo)
  • Park So-dam: Daughter (Kim Ki-jung)
• Living Situation: Semi-basement flat in Seoul, struggling with low-income jobs

Scheme

• Initiation: Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon), a university student, gives Ki-woo a scholar’s rock promising wealth
• Plan: Ki-woo poses as a university student to take over Min-hyuk's job as an English tutor for the wealthy Park family's daughter, Da-hye
• Execution: Ki-jung creates a false certificate for Ki-woo; Ki-woo gets the job
• Further Infiltration:
  • Ki-woo recommends Ki-jung as an art therapist for the Park’s young son, Da-song
  • The Kim family frames the Park’s driver; Ki-taek becomes the new driver
  • Exploiting the housekeeper’s peach allergy, Chung-sook becomes the new housekeeper

Crisis

• Incident: Kims revel in the luxuries when the Parks are away; housekeeper Moon-gwang appears and reveals a secret bunker in the house
• Confrontation: Moon-gwang’s husband (Geun-se) has been hiding from loan sharks in the bunker
• Conflict: Moon-gwang discovers and videotapes the Kims’ scam
• Parks’ Return: Kims hide and overhear Mr. Park’s comments about Ki-taek’s odor

Climax

• Flood: The Kims’ flat gets flooded; they take shelter in a gym
• House Party: Next day, a birthday party is held; conflict escalates
• Violence:
  • Geun-se attacks Ki-woo and kills Ki-jung
  • Kims’ father kills Mr. Park and flees
• Aftermath:
  • Ki-woo survives a brain operation; his mother and he are convicted of fraud
  • Ki-jung dies from injuries; Ki-taek goes into hiding
  • Ki-woo vows to earn enough to buy the house and free his father

Film Details

• Locations: Various locations in South Korea, primarily Seoul
• Visuals: Contrasting settings for two families, real-life settings
• Music: Composed by Jung Jae-il; atmospheric and tension-building
• Release Date: May 30, 2019
• Budget: Approximately $11 million
• Box Office: Over $266 million worldwide

Awards and Recognition

• Cannes Film Festival: Palme d'Or
• Academy Awards (Oscars):
  • Best Picture
  • Best Director
  • Best Original Screenplay
  • Best International Feature Film
• Impact: Notable for its societal class issues and genre-blending storytelling

Interesting Facts

1. The film’s title has multiple layers of meaning
2. Director Bong Joon-ho designed the families’ homes on a set
3. Use of stairs symbolizes class divide
4. Societal issues depicted with dark humor
5. Exceptional performances by the ensemble cast
6. Rain as a recurring motif
7. Marked a turning point for South Korean cinema
8. Park’s house designed by a fictional architect
9. Custom-designed coffee table
10. Built the entire neighborhood set on a water tank to enable flooding