Parasite follows the lives of the struggling Kim family, a married couple and their two children, sharing an unflattering basement apartment. In desperation, they sap away from other homes' Wi-fi, take commission gigs from WhatsApp, and in one extreme, leave their windows open for free fumigation (they have a nasty stink bug infestation, which is more than a little ironic). It's a simple, but incredibly effective introduction, giving us a first-hand, intimate glimpse into the lives of these people, allowing us to empathize and readily sympathize with their decisions come later. The metaphors only grow more metaphorical, when a friend of the son (Kim Ki-woo, played by Choi Woo-shik) is gifted a granite sculpture, said to bless its owner with prosperity.
Ki-woo is offered a job by his friend, serving as an English tutor to the daughter of the wealthy Park family, a job that requires he fake his way in. What starts out as a simple favor soon turns into something much greater, taking full advantage of the quote-unquote "Rich and simple family", perhaps none more gullible than the worrisome mother (a scene-stealing Cho Yeo-jeong), and integrating more and more into that privileged lifestyle. I dare not say anything more beyond that, for fear of spoiling the many twisty routes this movie goes down, and just how metaphorical everything becomes.
The greatest, and most obvious metaphor is no doubt the clear class divide. The marked difference between the households is certainly not lost, going from the cramped claustrophobia of the basement, to the towering height of the spacious mansion. With such an emphasis on the intricate locations, the houses become as much a character as any of the people in the film, with their own secrets to tell, and their own layers of character development. Even the vistas go a ways in deepening the viewpoints of their inhabitants. The basement looks out on miles of underprivileged and struggling households, a firsthand insight into the daily grind of their lives. The mansion looks out only onto a green, grassy backyard, surround by trees blotting out the rest of the world, ignorant of the problems beyond their blissful extravagance.
"Simple" certainly fits how they see things, tapping into this idea of people who only see what they want to see, putting aside basic semblance of rationality for convenience, and anything that doesn't affect them, or anything within their bubble is meaningless. The entire world outside of theirs could be crumbling (and in one example, it literally does), and they wouldn't be bothered by it. This is even further highlighted by the film's blocking, sometimes literally and figuratively showing characters as "beneath" others, as well as the emphasis on scent, which becomes its own recurrent theme. Which doesn't make them *bad* people, the film never goes so far as to villainize them, but sometimes ignorance can be just as damaging as intentional neglect. In a way, *they* have become parasites feeding off of the other half. But said ignorance proves just as vital a boon to the Kim family, for in the Parks' obliviousness to what goes on beyond their grassy garden, they can just as easily be fooled.
Method acting becomes a vital tool to the Kims, for if you can act like you belong, than you can fake your way through anything. You can turn that family's ignorance against them, and in your favor. In essence, they have become like those stink bugs, taking advantage of the hospitality and ignorance of their hosts, and slowly making themselves at home. And as the cash flow and scheme grows, so too does the negative influence. There's an entire tangent in the film about the effects of money, where a character rants about rich people only being nice because they can afford to be. And yes, within the film's narrative, there's definitely credence given to that idea, but it's also an idea that gets turned right around on its head, as the Kims become victims to their own blissful ignorance. I cannot say why without crucial spoilers, so just trust me when I say that what follows is all kinds of gloriously messed up... and I gobbled up every minute of it.
That balance in tone just might be Parasite's shining quality, shifting seamlessly between dark comedy and pointed commentary, without forgetting the soul at the center of the film. Even as the main characters have to resort to some lows, we still oddly find ourselves in their corner. They're so thoughtfully fleshed out at every single turn, and even if their actions aren't always pleasant (in fact, sometimes they're downright despicable), we're still always reminded and understanding of why they must resort to these decisions, even if at heart they do sacrifice some of their identity to achieve it. It helps that director Bong has assembled a phenomenal cast of players to occupy these roles and breathe life into them, with his muse Song Kang-ho standing out among the batch as the family patriarch, with some of the most heartbreaking and charged sections of the film.
I don't consider myself among the Bong Joon-ho initiated, as I've only been following him since Snowpiercer, but having now seen Parasite twice, this may be the film that finally converts me to a fan. It's a movie that almost effortlessly balances between weighty commentary and savage comedy, wrapping it around a compelling family drama with so much entertainment value, and that tone was the winning formula above all else. After Okja, where tone completely eluded Bong, he is firing on all cylinders in this follow-up, and makes me realize what many see in him as a filmmaker. A singularly unique and inventive artist, with a fittingly singular film to his credit. It's so metaphorical!
***** / *****
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