PARASITE
Korea, 2019, 132 minutes, Colour.
Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, Hye jin Jang, So-dam Park.
Directed by Joon Ho Bong.
Nobody likes parasites – except the international jury at the 2019 Cannrs Film Festival where this film, with the uneasy title, claimed the main prize, the Palme D’ Or. A popular winner with a 10 minute standing ovation.
That, of course, is in itself a sound commendation. But, while it made an immediate impact in its own country of Korea, some other audiences might take time to adjust to the atmosphere and the ever-disturbing story and storytelling.
Some years ago, the director, made a film about alien infections in our world, The Host. This time the parasites are human. They are members of what we might call the under-class, impoverished, living in rather squalid surroundings, insect-infested basements, looking (and not looking) for jobs and employment. They could be described as lower-class parasites on society. But the points being made are far stronger than this.
Eventually, mother and father, son and daughter, will find (or manipulate) employment with a wealthy family, rich class if not upper-class. This is certainly a tale of class contrasts.
The upward mobility in employment comes about when the best friend of the son suggests he apply to be the English-language tutor of the young girl of the wealthy family. He is an instant hit. Then by posomg (and there will be a funny reprise of this towards the end); he also likes to draw. Eventually, the father is hired as the chauffeur, the mother becomes the housekeeper – with a particularly cruel plot twist as to how they engineered the dismissal of the previous housekeeper. But, after a moments of our compassion for her, there is quite a twist, more than quite a twist which involves the housekeeper and her husband. Our parasite family are not the only ones who can play parasite games.
The film’s director has made a range of offbeat films including The Host, as mentioned, Snowpiercer about a bizarre train circling the world and creating class distinctions, Okja about animal manipulation and financial exploitation.
In one sense, this film is more realistic – this parasite family with their shrewd manipulation has its parallels in the actual world. As to the flighty and complacent, frequently frivolous, wealthy parents and their spoilt children, the world is full of them. But, there are quite some twists which take us into the world of the imagination, a mixture of violence and exploitation.
The aim of this review is to try to indicate whether, despite or because of the accolades, it sounds like your kind of film, some parody and farce, some drama, and social themes to reflect on.
1. Many awards? The reputation of the director? Style and themes?
2. A portrait of Korean society, realistic, touches of parody? Class, wealth, differences? The 21st-century?
3. The city, the poor area, the streets, the basements, the mansion, interiors, the garden? Atmosphere? The musical score?
4. The narrative, the situations, characters, complexities and twists? Ironies?
5. The family, the living in the basement, dingy, insects, unemployed, issues of food, sanitation? The father and his dominance, the strong-minded mother, the careless sister, the earnest son? Their interactions?
6. The son and his friend, the proposal that he become a tutor, going for the interview, getting the job, the friend and the young girl as his fiancee? Her relationship with the son, getting a crush on him? His ambitions – and ultimately thinking of marrying, his in-laws, inheriting the house? Helping her with her English?
7. Ingratiating himself into the family, the young boy, his trauma, drawings, Jessica and her abilities, his getting her the job? Her becoming part of the household?
8. The house, lavish, the father and his job, business? The mother, the touch of the flighty, wealth, her relationship with the children? The boy and the story of the ghost, treatment? The role of the maid and her support of the household?
9. The father, his becoming a chauffeur, his smell, almost crossing the line, the father relying on him?
10. His wife, bossy, her place in the family? The previous maid, her peach allergy, the plan, accused of having TB, the test, the maid and her anxiety, being ousted, the mother firing her, not telling the husband why?
11. The family in the house, the owners going away camping, living in comfort, feasting and drinking, parasites?
12. The housekeeper, returning to the house, confrontation, the revelation about her husband in the basement for so many years? A different perspective? Alternate parasites?
13. The family camping, the whims of the little boy, his tent, returning, the phone call, demanding the meal, the hurry, clearing the sign of the feasting? Hiding, under the table, escaping home? The boy not eating, the daughter upset, the mother eating all the food?
14. The meaning of the title, the family, the housekeeper and her husband, his story, debts, hiding for years, surviving, his wife supplying the food?
15. The hostilities between the two families, covering up, the vicious attacks, in the basement, the door, the husband being tied up, the threats by the father, the wife knocked out, getting loose, the Morse Code sign? The ultimate violence, the death of the wife and her being buried?
16. The idea of the party, the mother and her society friends, the boy, the rain, seeing the ghost again? His being pampered, the plan, Jessica’s involvement, the cake, the sequence starting, the rescue, turning into a fiasco, the violent attack, the father stabbing the owner, Jessica being killed, the consequent mayhem? The son, shot, his going to
hospital, his recovery?
17. The family going home, the rain, the sewers, gross?
18. The episodes are downstairs, the deaths and burials, the father and his escape, getting into the basement, the final vengeance?
19. The selling of the house, the father downstairs, the Morse code, his letter to his son?
20. The son, searching for his father, the plan to buy the house after working on his accumulating money? The plan in his imagination? The reality?
