Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite depicts South Korean class struggle vividly in a satirical way. The film takes a tour of both Kim and Park families. The Kims represent the poor, live in a squalid basement apartment, and fold pizza boxes to make both ends meet. Their economic condition is pretty much explained when they use a neighbor’s internet and government fumigation.
The son of the Kim family gets a tutoring job via his friend and subsequently places all his family members in the household of the rich Park family by framing the existing servants up without revealing their identities. The Parks live in a lavish mansion, consider themselves as noble, but cannot resist commenting on how the servants smell like boiled rags. The husband of the former housekeeper stays in an underground bunker in the same mansion to avoid the loan sharks.
The Kims are finally caught by the former housekeeper and an abrupt fight breaks out during the birthday of the Parks’ son. Mr. Park cares only for his injured son for rushing to the hospital while the daughter of the Kims’ is almost in her last stage. Coming closer to the servants, Mr. Park closes his nose off for their stinking smells even in this situation. Mr. Kim gets irked and kills Mr. Park. Bong Joon-ho’s command over the concept and his craft is outstanding.
Parasite is filled with multiple unforgettable scenes that depict class divisions, social inequality, and wealth disparity in the modern world. These problems not only affect a particular society like South Korea but also make the entire world lame. It emerges as one of the most important films of the decade. Staircases are a common theme throughout the film. Staircases go downward in the area of semi-basement apartments and upward towards the mansions. The quality of lifestyle diminishes significantly in poorer sections of society.
Rainy season brings happiness for the rich but miseries for the poor. The semi-basement apartments are flooded with rainwater. Human existences and basic necessities are surrounded by limitless uncertainties. The son of the Park family is obsessed with the Native Americans and dresses himself up like them. The Native Americans, who have a much-enriched history and culture, are amusement for him. This film showcases clearly the divisions and contrast amongst world cultures and societies. Nothing can be more specific and vivid.
Parasite is a perfect example of how immensely a filmmaker can be rooted in society and specifically his surroundings. As the director and writer of the film, Bong Joon-ho’s work is extremely powerful, realistic, and empathetic. Implementation of the storyline throughout the film clearly showcases that he is the master of his craft. One of the most important aspects of the film is the production design. The first floor and the garden were constructed before the shooting began. The second floor and the basement were created on a set using VFX.
The semi-basement apartment of the Kims and the street were also created on a set, which eases the making of the flooding scenes. The production design is an extremely important part of the film as the story is closely woven around it. The production designer of the film Lee Ha-jun deserves applause. The lighting used in the film is sophisticated and sober. Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo has done a pretty decent job. This film can also be characterized by extremely powerful acting from all the actors.
Parasite opened a new horizon when it won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards. This is the first-ever Best Picture Oscar win for a non-English film. It won the other three Academy Awards – Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. It was also awarded the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. This is the first time ever a South Korean film has achieved this feat. It was the third film to be awarded both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Picture. Amongst numerous other accolades, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and became the first film not in English to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.