For the Kim family, life in poverty is normal. Ki-taek, Chung-sook, and siblings Ki-woo (a.k.a. Kevin) and Ki-jeong (a.k.a. Jessica) live in a partially underground basement in a low-class area of Korea. Everything changes for the Kim’s when their high school-aged son, Ki-woo, receives a “scholar’s rock” from his friend, Min-hyuk. Min-hyuk suggests that Ki-woo take his position as a tutor for Da-hye, the daughter of the wealthy Park family, while he is away studying abroad.
After his sister Ki-jeong forges college documents for him, Ki-woo is hired by Mrs. Park almost immediately. Ki-woo then suggests an “acquaintance,” Ki-jeong, as a tutor for Da-hye’s brother, Da-song. Soon, the Kim family completely infiltrates the Park family—taking over the positions of tutors, driver, and housekeeper. Consequently, all of the Parks’ former employees lose their jobs. The narrative quickly loses integrity.
From the very beginning of the film, heavy language plays a prominent role. This leads directly into the deceitful ways of the Kim family. Not only does Ki-jeong forge documents for Ki-woo, but she also plants her own panties as evidence in the back of Mr. Park’s car in order to raise suspicion about his chauffeur, Yoon. After smelling the panties, Mr. Kim jumps quickly to conclusions, asking his wife if, in reference to Yoon, “dripping his sperm in [the] seat turn[s] him on?” The Parks then infer that this woman must have been either on meth or cocaine in order to forget her own panties. Yoon is quickly fired and Ki-jeong moves in to recommend her father, represented as a long-time chauffer, Ki-taek.
Ki-taek and Ki-woo then work together to rid the Parks of their longtime housekeeper, Mook-gwang. After convincing Mrs. Park that Mook-gwang has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, Mook-gwang is swiftly fired and Ki-woo’s mother, Chung-sook, who is represented as a high-class housekeeper for an upscale business is hired in her place.
With the whole family working at the Parks’ wealthy residence, the Kim’s begin to settle into a new, more financially stable lifestyle.Throughout the entire movie, the Parks never find out that their four new employees have any relationship to one another. The movie continues in this direction and concludes with numerous shocking twists of fate.
While the Kim family is inherently deceitful, this theme is surprisingly downplayed. Even though viewers know that the Kims are completely in the wrong, it is easy to want them to succeed with their endeavors. Parasite brilliantly illustrates the difficulties associated with living in poverty and makes it hard to support a family, like the Parks, who have so much yet do not help those in need. This theme sheds light on some very harsh realities seen in the streets surrounding us every day.
Parasite includes plenty of violent scenes, but those are not what make it scary. The film is more of a psychological thriller—it leads viewers to see how easy it is to be deceived by those trusted the most. It calls into question our fundamental precepts of reality—do we really know those we trust? After how long do we truly trust someone? Can a person ever truly be trusted?
The idea of a “parasite” is not directly addressed in the movie. This leads viewers to make their own assumption of what the parasite actually is—furthering the psychological thrill. Is it the wealth that clings to the Park family? Is it the poverty that drowns the Kims? Should the term “parasite” be taken more literally, as the Kims infest the Parks’ home? These questions only scratch the surface of the intellectual inquiries raised in this film.
Cinematically, Parasite is a fantastic movie—everything from the audio to the lighting is exceptional. The film perfectly portrays the settings they are trying to illustrate, whether they be impoverished basement neighborhoods, wealthy backyard parties, or dirty, flooded streets. The characters’ hair and makeup are well done and, even without familiarity to the actors, the casting is impeccable as well.The only hiccup with the film, from the perspective of someone who does not speak Korean, would be the fact that it requires subtitles that move very quickly, making it difficult to both watch the movie and read the words on screen.
Parasite is a film brimming with lack of integrity—but that doesn’t negate its cinematic brilliance or ability to make viewers really think about reality. While the film is not Dove approved for obvious reasons, it would be false to say that the movie is not well-made or the plot is not well-developed.
Parasite is not Dove-approved.
The Dove Take:
While Parasite is an exceptionally well-made movie, its plot lacks any trace of integrity as it includes an excess of deceit, violence, and foul language.
