What Parasite Means to Us
–Bob Cram
It’s damn near impossible to classify what kind of movie Parasite is. Trying to sell it with the cliched pitch of “it’s this plus that” is futile. It’s a con man thriller that’s part comedy, part social drama that shifts between tones so effortlessly, that it also feels part ballet. Like the majority of the director’s work, it deals with the disparity between the rich and the poor but again, it’s way more than that. After every act, you’ll be wondering where the hell the story is going to go but you can’t– it’s impossible to predict the film’s ultimate endgame. It’s shocking without having to resort to twists, unpredictable without feeling manipulative and good god is it suspenseful. It’s one of the few films that out Hitchcocks Hitchcock.
–Sailor Monsoon
From Underground to Higher Ground
Parasite is one of the rare international films to cross the language barrier and appeal to wide swaths of American and other Western audiences. This is largely due to the fact that if you make an incredible movie people will respond positively to it, no matter what language it happens to be in. The other major reason for Parasite’s success across the globe, and in the US in particular is the subject matter.
Class warfare is not a new concept, nor are films about the topic. However, the particulars of Parasite’s story of class struggles seemingly came to audiences in the States at a perfect time. Frustrations about the lavish lifestyles of the country’s upper crust were evident in both South Korea and the United States during Parasite’s release in 2019. The rich’s insulting dismissal of the working and lower classes created increasingly dire tensions between the classes. Parasite perfectly captures that tension, and of course brings into question which group actually acts as parasite and which acts as host.
Parasite ended up resonating with international and American viewers so much that it eventually went on to become the first foreign language film to win the top prize at the Oscars. It beat out strong competition including titans of the game in Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), the first R-rated movie to make over $1 Billion (Joker), and a boldly constructed wartime epic (1917).
Not only did Parasite win Best Picture, but it also took home statuettes, for Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Film, and Best Director. In hindsight, Bong and company being celebrated at Hollywood’s biggest night seems like a no-brainer. But at the time it was an improbable indicator of a willingness for Hollywood to change some of its more frustrating ways, and open the door to different kinds of movies to be celebrated.
The effects of a post-Parasite entertainment world have already been felt within the first five years after its release. It’s hard to imagine something like Squid Game becoming as popular as it was without the success of Parasite. Additionally, the popularity of “eat the rich” satire films like The Menu, Glass Onion, and Triangle of Sadness owe of lot of the hunger for those types of stories to Parasite.
In many ways, Parasite felt like the little movie that could. A somewhat unknown film that went on to take over the world.
So Metaphorical
A “metaphorical” rock makes an appearance early on in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, and it comes to be an amazing motif throughout the rest of the film. After receiving it as a gift meant to represent wealth and prosperity from a friend, Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) immediately places far too much weight on the rock’s significance. He takes it as a sign of brighter things to come for the entire Kim family.
However, as we come to learn throughout the course of the movie, the rock is quite literally just a rock. At one point, after a massive flood ruins the Kim family’s semi-basement apartment, we see the rock float to the top of the water – revealing that despite its weight (real or imagined), the rock is actually hollow on the inside. The dreams that it represents are all hollow on the inside. It’s not so metaphorical after all.
The rock goes on to serve a much more literal purpose in the course of the movie than any potential metaphorical purpose. It’s more of a Chekhov’s gun than a symbolic representation of a thematic conceit.
Throughout the course of the movie, Bong is setting up the idea that we might be too eager to see the metaphorical nature of something. Or that we might assign something, such as a rock, some great meaning without actually thinking of what that meaning might mean. Perhaps it’s a playful statement about over-analysis in film criticism. Or perhaps I’m looking too deeply into something not meaning anything. That irony is not lost on me.
Either way, the recurrence of the rock is both a powerful narrative motif and a cheeky joke that massively enhances the pleasure of the viewing.
Stick to the Plan
Parasite is a masterclass in many aspects of filmmaking. There are more singularly great shots than one can count, adding depth to the story and its thematic elements. The ensemble cast’s acting is top-notch, as every performance somehow seamlessly balances the film’s comedic and sinister tones. The editing is absolutely beautiful, keeping the film’s pace engaging moving, and creating a sense of wonder from frame to frame.
But the real heart of the movie is the script. Co-written by Bong and Han Jin-won, Parasite’s screenplay keeps everything together.
The structure is impeccable. Right at the script’s halfway mark is a ring at the doorbell. For those who have seen the movie, they know that this is when the movie takes its incredible turn. We’ll stay away from spoilers for those who have not seen the movie, as the twists and turns are the major selling point of the film’s enjoyability.
Parasite, however, is so much more than just cheap thrills. The entire film is expertly crafted. Take the “peach heist” for example. Serving as the climactic end of the film’s first act, it beautifully and succinctly ties a bow on the incredible Kim family master plan. More importantly, it’s massively entertaining and will forever change the way you look at peaches.
When you watch something like Parasite, you can sense that Bong is an extremely meticulous filmmaker. He famously storyboarded the entire film, and that attention is detail is evident in every frame. Even things that seem minor, like sound design choices, end up going a long way. When the film briefly explodes into violence, the unsheathing of a knife or the thudding of a body will send chills down your spine – not just for because of the visual, but because of the intensity of the audio.
The beauty of a film like Parasite is that there are so many instances that will inspire awe. Instead of going through all of them now, I will just strongly encourage you to go watch it right now.
Legacy
In an age where so many things seem to be up for debate (even things that need not be debatable), Parasite has been one of the few things that most, if not all, people can agree on. It’s refreshing to see something so universally loved. It’s encouraging to know that no matter who I recommend Parasite to, they’ll probably end up enjoying it. And it truly warms my heart to know that because so many people will become more exposed to foreign films that they would have otherwise ignored before viewing Parasite.
I’m excited to check back in five years to see how this film continues to age. One can only assume that its legend will continue to grow, and it will only further solidify itself as one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema.
Parasite is worthy of all the acclaim it’s received, including its place in The Canon.
Share your Parasite trivia or memories down in the comments below!
