Parasite reminds us that we’re all, somehow, leeching off of each other. This 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or winner has captured audiences across the world and is now garnering Oscar buzz — let’s dive in and analyse… why exactly is it so broadly appealing? Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho (Okja, Snowpiercer, The Host), Parasite is a dark comedy thriller that follows a poor family as they conspire to infiltrate a well-to-do household. By slowly positioning themselves as service personnel of the wealthy Park family, the Kims find themselves in better living conditions than before, trading up their sub-basement apartment for a beautiful mansion.
Recap
The Kims fake their credentials to integrate themselves into the lives of the naïve Park family. The ruse continues seamlessly until one rainy evening. At the door, the former housekeeper begs to be let in: she’s left something behind. The Kims, interrupted from an evening of drunken revelry, reluctantly humour her. She proceeds to go to the kitchen and unveils a secret passageway going to a basement none of them has seen before. Underneath the mansion, housekeeper Moon-gwang reveals what she’s forgotten behind — her husband.
Living in the Park’s secret basement, Moon-gwang’s husband has been eagerly waiting for her return. Having been sequestered to hide from debts, he survives through stolen provisions by Moon-gwang. Tension quickens as the Park family suddenly calls to say that they are on their way home; their out of town trip has been cut short due to the rain. A struggle ensues and Moon-gwang is pushed down the stairs so she and her husband cannot get out. The Kims scurry like cockroaches to clean the place up so the Parks remain none the wiser.
The Parks arrive to a quiet and normal home. Chung-sook, the Kim matriarch (and now housekeeper) attends to the Park family. Hiding underneath the living room table, the three other Kims struggle to remain unfound. The evening fades as the Parks fall asleep. In the darkness, the Kim family find a way to escape. They brave the strong rains outside.
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