P(overty)arasite: A Film Analysis

By: Trevor S. Omamalin, A8-7

“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime”

- Aristotle

Even though the quote above was said circa 300 BCE, in our contemporary world the saying still
retains its strength and relevance if not becoming an even more powerful and more relevant statement.
Although the meaning of the quote is apparent, emphasis is still needed for the purpose of this analysis.
The quote essentially states that poverty is one of the root causes of why people commit stealing things
that they have and desperately want or need or causes them to rebel against the system and the current
state of their lives to remove them from the state of scarcity that they are in.
Poverty is one of the central themes in the movie Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho. In
this movie, the Kims are struggling yet aspiring people that are sitting on the poverty line trying to climb
their way up the social and financial ladder doing odd jobs in which some can be considered – and
some really are – illegal. Through this, they crossed paths with the Parks, a wealthy family who have
more money than the things they can spend the money on. With this crossing of paths, many things
conspired between them, with the Parks having little to no knowledge of the different (although witty and
smart) malicious and parasitic-like actions done by the Kims. All of these things were captured and
projected by masterful cinematography and the use of the five different semiotic theories, in which this
paper wishes to address some of the scenes which characterized a strong connection to one of the
central themes, poverty.

[7:24] The Viewing Stone’s First Appearance. [53:06] The Viewing Stone’s Second Appearance.

[1:37:20] The Viewing Stone’s Third Appearance. [1:51:51] The Viewing Stone’s Fourth Appearance.

At around the start of the movie Ki-woo’s friend, Min, gave Ki-woo a gift, a Viewing stone. Min
said that the rock came from his grandfather and it was said that it would bring material wealth to their
family, the family of the Kims. Ki-woo accepted it and commented that it was so metaphorical, figurative,
and due to that exchange it became clear to the author of this paper that the viewing stone meant more
to Ki-woo than just bringing material wealth to their family, rather it signifies his aspirations and dreams
to become rich and wealthy and over the course of the movie, it appears several times, each time
signifying something different about Ki-woo’s aspiration’s current state.
After the arrival of the viewing stone in Ki-woo’s hands, he can be observed to take bold actions
as is evident in forging his diploma to be accepted as a private tutor in the Park’s residence. During
those moments in the movie, Ki-woo’s aspiration is finally addressed and dreams are finally starting to
come true, giving him the idea that he has become the master of his reigns and this can be clearly seen
during the second appearance of the viewing stone. As a drunkard was urinating near their house, Ki-
woo grabbed the viewing stone with the intention of using it as a weapon, this act further reinforces the
boldness that he has gained during this point of the movie. However, all great things must come to an
end, after enjoying the fruits of their labor and finally living the luxurious life that they so desired they are
then quickly reminded that this is only a momentary moment as they almost got caught and were forced
to go back to their home only to find it flooded. There in the midst of the murky water flooding their
home, Ki-woo found his viewing stone appearing faintly, here Ki-woo’s aspirations are shown as being
challenged and on the verge of being taken away from him and it was shown later on as they slept in the
evacuation center that Ki-woo won’t let go of his aspirations that easily.
 Ki-woo was about to realize that although his aspirations might be considered valid, his means
of getting it was not the right path. As he tried to kill the person living below the Park’s residence using
the viewing stone, the situation took a turn as the person got a hold of Ki-woo’s viewing stone. In a
scurry to evade his attacker, Ki-woo tried to run away but was alas caught and bashed in the head with
the viewing stone. At that moment, it figuratively told the audience that Ki-woo’s aspiration is the cause
of his demise. Instilling in his head, figuratively and literally, that achieving one’s dreams will take much
more than just faking your way through.
Ki-woo’s fate can also be predicted and seen in the form that the viewing stone took. The
viewing stone can be seen to be like a graph coming to a peak, but then sharply going down after. Ki-
woo reached what he wanted but was then immediately taken away from him, a fate and an aspiration
that was not at the right time nor at the right place.

[12:12 - 12:33] Ki-woo compared to the walls of his residence to the walls of his potential tutoring gig’s
residential area.

As Ki-woo proceeded to go to the Park’s residence – his potential tutoring gig – he was met with
a difference in wall height. At his residence, the walls and windows were positioned reasonably with
respect to his body, and the spatial distance between him and such walls was close, signifying that he is
familiar with those types of walls, indicating that he was born and raised in a poverty-stricken situation.
However, as he arrived at the residential area of the Park’s, there was a stark difference between the
height of the walls. At the Park’s residential area, Ki-woo was minute compared to the walls, he was
often seen looking up just to see the end of the perimeter walls. These scenes symbolize and put an
emphasis on the current economical status and social status of Ki-woo and his family. Compared to the
Park’s, the Kim’s are just like ants, insignificant to the eyes of the rich and wealthy showing the clear
divide and difference between the different social classes.

[52:01] First mention of smell. [1:27:46] Second mention of smell.

Aside from the viewing stone, the smell is one of the recurring things mentioned in the movie.
The first mention of smell was when Da-song smelt a similarity in smell between Mr. Kim and Mrs. Kim,
the second occurrence of smell was when the Kim family hid from the sudden arrival of the Park family
from their vacation due to bad weather. Smell, in the sense brought about by the movie, is the
distinction between the social status classes. The movie explains the reason why they can’t get rid of the
smell and it was stated that it is due to the place that they are living in, this statement further reinforces
that there clearly is a division and you can be attributed as being poor due to your smell, meaning
poorness has a certain smell that can’t be washed of easily even if you really want to take it off.
Furthermore, as they were hiding under the coffee table during the second mention of their
smell, it became clear that the Parks did not like the smell of them, signifying that they look down on
those that earn less than them, feeling a sense of superiority over them. In addition, with the inability to
cover their ears and shut off the words spoken by the Parks about their smell, they took them hit by hit
reminding them that that is what they are, smelly, poor.
[1:29:21] The “Clockwise” Scene.

Although this scene is not related to the central theme that the author of this film analysis is
trying to address, it is, however, important to tackle as it still pertains to a certain construct in our
society.
Regarded to the author of this paper as the “Clockwise” scene in the movie, this scene in the
movie shows the social construct that the husband provides and the woman just receives what is given.
In the form of pleasure, Mr. Park gave what Mrs. Park wanted and with vigor. This tells us something
about the dynamic that is present in the Park family and is present as well in some families existing in
the world today, that there are certain roles given to different family members. Furthermore, with how
Mr. Park wraps Mrs. Park around his arms signifies that Mr. Park has control over Mrs. Park, showing
yet again how their family dynamic works, with Mr. Park as the sort of “master” of their household.

The viewing stone, the smell, the stark difference between the house walls of the Kims to the
perimeter walls of the Parks, and the social construct being emphasized by the “Clockwise scene”, one
might consider that this movie has meaning hidden behind every scene and shot. Each angle serving a
purpose, each dialogue giving depth to the characters and giving the audience the guide to interpret the
characters on their own. In my case, as the author of this analysis paper, the scenes mentioned above
are those that stood out to me the most. However, the movie gave me an impact much more than what
the scenes I’ve laid out above have. I thought that this movie was something about a virus or a film
about zombies, but once the credits of the movie rolled, I was left with a feeling of melancholy and
emptiness, something that I only feel towards shows that truly have an impact and have me invest all my
attention towards it. Perhaps the reason why I felt what I felt is that I can relate to the state of the Kims
up to a certain extent. Relate to them not in terms of the crimes that they have done, but to them
pretending to be rich and trying to go beyond what they truly are. I, too, have been in situations where I
do not want to be in, and I, too, tried to pretend to be someone else just to feel what other people feel
when they are of that status or position, and usually, I meet the same fate as the Kims, a fate that is
undesirable. Thus, one of the things that echoed through my head whilst watching the movie for a
second time was “do not try to be something that you are not”, because I have known and learned what
happens when you do.
Captivating, breathtaking, and seat-gripping. Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho is truly a
masterpiece of its time and still stands as one even now. The movie delivers to the audience different
representations of how poverty can manifest and of how divided the world of the rich and wealthy are
from the world of the poor. From the title “Parasite” which within the context of the movie relates the
parasitic relationship between the Kims and the Parks, all the way to the different scenes, this movie
truly embodies and represents what Aristotle said about poverty, and I, for one, believe that there is still
more to this movie than meets the eye.