Name : Natanael Yohanes G

Kelas : XII IPA 6

No Absen : 26
Film Parasite
Release : June 21, 2019
Director : Bong Joon-ho
Cast : Choi Woo-shik, Yeo-jeong Cho, Park Seo-joon, Park so-dam
‘Parasite’s’ opening shot of a small glass window looking up from a basement house
to the view of a narrow winding road, sets the visual language of the film firmly, right
at the onset. There are many more such shots which metaphorically convey the social
and economic disparity that is the central theme of this film. Especially the use of
stairs going up and down, cramped spaces versus lush, open green lawns, delectably
and elegantly laid out fruit slices as opposed to a clumisly heaped plate of food from
a local kitchen.
Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) and his family live in a pokey, underground house and
are generally unemployed. When we meet them, the family is perturbed that their
access to free wifi has been cut short. Obviously not able to afford their own, they
have been sponging off their neighbor’s connection. In fact, even as a fumigation
carried out on their street, Kim tells his family to leave the windows open so they can
have a free extermination of the insects in their house, despite almost choking on the
fumes. On some days, they get by with temporary jobs like fixing pizza boxes. So
when his son Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) is offered by a friend to be set up as an
English tutor to the daughter of a wealthy Mr. Park (Lee Sun-kyun), he agrees. Only
hitch, Kim Ki-woo doesn’t have a college degree having failed his university exams.
But his sister, Kim Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) presents a quick solution to this with her
expert photo-shopping skills. Armed with a forged degree document, Kim makes an
easy impression on Mr.Park’s wife, Yeon-kyo (Cho Yeo-jeong) and their teenage
daughter, Park Da-hye (Jung ji-so). There’s also their nine-year-old son, Park Da-
song (Jung Hyeong), scampering around the house, who Yeon-kyo believes has
untapped potential as an artist. With one foot firmly inside the Park household, Kim
Ki-jeong craftily places his sister as Da-song’s art teacher cum therapist. Yeon-kyo's
naivety and gullible nature makes this inclusion quite smooth. Soon with some
careful scheming, fake identities and a well-rehearsed plan even his parents, Kim Ki-
taek and Chung sook (Chang Hyae-jin) are employed in the household.
It seems like a flawless plan with the Kim family settled into their new found roles
and the sunlit, lavish mansion of the Park family giving it the perfect backdrop. But
just like that, director Bong Joon-ho’s screenplay springs upon us unexpected plot
twists and a thrilling run up to a grisly yet astounding climax. Through a well-crafted
maze of events the prevalent class conflict and social disparity come to the fore. The
Kim’s are often shown huddled together as a family, gobbling away at their meals
and the Park’s are often in their own expansive rooms, almost isolated from each
other. In a telling scene, when Mr. Park discusses Mr.Kim’s smell that wafts through
the car when he drives, ‘crossing the line’ and reaching the backseat, he describes it
as an ‘old rag that has been boiled’ and ‘that smell that people who travel in the
subway have’. It’s evident there is unspoken disdain is on both ends, as Chung sook
quips how Yeon-kyo is ‘nice because she is rich.’
With not a moment that seems unnecessary or extra, ‘Parasite’ is exceptionally well-
paced and edited (Yang Jin-mo). Director Bong Jon-ho masterfully constructs
stylized, dramatic sequences set to a brilliant background score (Jung Jae-il) as the
film rapidly moves from one plot point to another. It results in a gripping yet poignant
watch. The ensemble cast enhance the proceedings with superlative performances,
especially Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam and Choi Woo-shik. With an insightful and
searing exploration of human behavior, ‘Parasite’ is a masterfully crafted film that is
a definite must watch.