Parasite (2019)
Whether you’ve watched it or not, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard of Parasite (2019) after it made history taking home 4 awards and being the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. It is no doubt among most critics that these awards were rightfully deserved, and that its writer and director Bong Joon Ho is nothing short of a modern day genius. I don’t think I can ever forget how I felt watching it the first time in theaters, and the way the atmosphere would so quickly change from lighthearted to tense. Bong Joon Ho is a master of pace and rhythm, and used this as a way to genre switch so effortlessly between comedy and thriller. He builds suspense so subtly at times that you don’t even realize you’re on the edge of your seat.
The film provides social commentary on wealth inequality, and does so through examining the lives of the Kims and the Parks, who are two families living in the same city but in completely opposite situations. The plot opens by introducing the Kim family, who is poverty stricken and living in a cramped semi-basement in Seoul, South Korea. The Kims have a plot to infiltrate the Park family’s spacious and luxurious mansion in order to escape their current situation. They are able to initiate this plan when the son, Kiwoo, becomes an English tutor for the Park’s eldest daughter. Slowly, the whole family begins to strategically replace people in the Park family’s lives. Kijeong (Jessica) becomes the 6 year old son Dasong’s “art therapist, and Kitaek, the Kim family’s father, becomes their chauffeur. They hit an obstacle, however, while trying to replace the Park’s housekeeper, Moongwang, due to her well established relationship with the family. This is the point in the film where my personal favorite scene takes place.
This scene, also known as the peach scene, has been regarded as the “perfect montage.” Using 60 shots in 5 minutes, it utilizes parallel editing techniques to show how the Kim family uses the housekeeper’s peach allergy to their advantage, so they can trick the Parks into thinking she has tuberculosis, and therefore allowing the mother of the Kim family to take her over job. Every shot is meticulously placed, and presents the viewer with a new piece of information.
Linear and slow motion shots paired with fast paced classical music work together to create a mesmerizing experience that perfectly captures the ridiculously elaborate plan the Kim family executes. The montage manipulates time as it jumps between shots, foreshadowing their intentions when “Jessica” steals a peach, and the father snaps a selfie in the hospital with Moongwang in the background.
Jessica and Kiwoo are shown on two different occasions discreetly sprinkling peach fuzz on the housekeeper. We then see the father in the car with Mrs. Park, initiating a conversation to convince her that the housekeeper has TB, that we soon learn was actually being rehearsed by Kiwoo and his father. This intercut of locations gives this single conversation so much depth as well as a comedic quality.
By the time the father and Mrs. Park return home, Jessica is able to squirt some hot sauce in a tissue in the garbage can, and in perfect timing, Mrs. Park sees Moongwang having a coughing fit while Mr. Kim holds up the “bloody” tissue.
As the montage comes to an end, the doorbell rings, and you are suddenly snapped out of this trance of false security the scene provides you with. From this point, the rest of the film takes a completely unexpected turn.
The details and symbolism woven throughout the film are impossible to cover in such a small amount of words. It is full the the brim with strategic production, from the shot sizes and camera angles used to show juxtaposition between the upper and lower classes to subtle mise-en-scène details such as the purposeful inclusion of 10 chairs in the Park family’s dining table to represent the rich family, the poor family, and the two people hidden in the basement. There are also several cultural nuances that contribute greatly to the film’s central theme, but are difficult to catch as a foreign viewer. Every single element from the architecture to the family surnames are intentionally chosen, and make for an extremely fun film to rewatch over and over.
