‘Parasite’: one of the most thought-provoking films Korean cinema has to offer

Lindsay

September 11, 2019

Highly-acclaimed film ‘Parasite‘ was the second movie shown on day six of KOFFIA 2019.

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Park So-dam

Genre: Drama

‘Parasite‘ is a confusing yet thought-provoking movie that will resonate in your mind even after you finish watching it. Choi Woo-shik‘s character, Ki-woo, receives a job offer from Park Seo-joon (who makes a cameo) that he just can’t refuse. He ends up working for an extremely rich family, and the rest of his family members also get jobs to work for them too. The clever way in which the family execute their plan to take over jobs like “parasites” deserves a round of applause. As Ki-woo’s family is struggling financially, they are desperate to make big bucks. One of the main themes of the film is the gap between the rich and the poor, which is highlighted through various symbols and motifs such as odour.

The film takes on a much darker tone when the family discover a secret bunker where they discover the husband of the rich family’s old housekeeper. He has set up his home there after hiding from loansharks. There are many parallels between him and the dad, which later hint that history repeats itself and life is just a never-ending and constant cycle. At the end, the film comes full circle after Ki-woo’s family suffers from dire circumstances, including death, a flood and homelessness.

A lot of the dialogue and symbolism in ‘Parasite‘ makes so much sense after the situation unfolds more and more. The mysterious characters enhance the suspense and thrill of the movie, and they will keep you wondering. You might still have a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the movie, but it’s thought-provoking because you can think about symbols, lines and scenes and analyse them.

Thank you to the Korean Cultural Centre Australia for allowing Officially Kmusic to review this movie.

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Written by Lindsay

Edited by Lindsay

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