Parasite

Do you now what kind of a plan never fails? No plan at all. You know why? If you make a plan, Life never works out that way. That's why people shouldn't make any plans. With no plan, nothing can go wrong. And if something spins out of control, it doesn't matter.

Summary:

The story of "Parasite" revolves around similar lines as the quote from the same movie given above. At the beginning we are introduces to a young boy named Ki-woo of the Kims. We are enlightened by his lifestyle, of his house, of his family. Of his father, Ki-taek, currently unemployed, his mother, Chung-sook, taking up small jobs from struggling businesses, and his sister, Ki-jung, who can no longer continue her studies because her family cannot afford it. Then, one day, his friend, Min, comes over and offers Ki-woo a job. Min was tutoring the daughter of a wealthy family, the Parks, and he wanted Ki-woo to take over his place, as he was going abroad to study. This is when Ki-woo makes a plan. A plan to infect the Park family like a parasite. However, as you might have already guessed, this plan went horribly wrong.

Analysis:

Story:

This film takes a lot of risks. But, as we have seen in several other movies from director Boong Joon Ho, it would be surprising if it didn't. I mean, if we take the trailer of the film into consideration, all you can get from that is a poor boy getting a job with a rich family. That's it! Other than that, the rest of the trailer is just filled with random scenes from the movie. This was one of the reasons why it took me so long to watch it, but I'm rather glad that I did. And, in the words of Boong Joon Ho himself,

My movies are based in genre, which is a universal language. Everybody speaks it

This guy loves to play with his genres. Sometimes the story is light and funny, other times it becomes grave and horrific. Since, the story is also written by Boong Joon Ho, he really wanted his audience to come in blind with nothing to expect and surprise them.

The story depicts how selfishness can reduce even the most decent of people, to mere monsters. We are given a perspective of all the three families presented in this movie; the rich, the poor, and the utterly desperate, and how none of them is willing to sympathize with the other, with a conclusion leading to the answer of the question, why they should?

Characters:

Most of the dialogue in this movie is not audible, as it is embedded within the characters themselves, and the actors have performed an sublime job to depict all that dialogue with their skill. Most of the times, it doesn't even feel like you're watching a movie. Rather, it feels like you're watching a poor Korean family having a taste of the rich life. It feels like you're watching two siblings toying with a family. It feels like you're watching a father playing with his kids. It feels like you're watching a mother just happy to see her family under one roof.

When the greatest flaws in the characters, such as Ki-woo (when Min entrusts Da-hey Park to him, he informs him of his plans to formally ask her of her hand in marriage, but on the second day of his tutoring, Ki-woo is already making out with Da-hey), are presented so subtly in the movie, it says a lot about their personalities.

But apart from the Kims, Yeon Kyo from the Park family was also a memorable character in the movie. Yeo-jeong Jo has performed exceptionally to depict Yeon Kyo as a gullible yet reserved and protective woman.

The following paragraph is a Spoiler. If you do not wish to spoil this movie for yourself, then I would suggest that you skip it.

I especially enjoyed So-dam Park's acting in this movie. She was able to portray Ki-jung in such a beautiful way that, in so little time, she was able to show us so much about her character. How she was a selfish yet innocent woman. How she could be both calculating and playful at times.This character was executed so well, that it was actually mournful for me when she finally dies near the end of the movie.

Direction:

You know how people say that, if you want something done right, best do it yourself. Well Boong Joon Ho actually took it to heart. The story, screenplay and direction for Parasite has all been done by the same guy, Boong Joon Ho. The result is that we are left with a story, unbiased from any other intervention and which is presented as a masterpiece.

The direction of this movie was crisp and on the spot. How we are introduced with the Kims and their lifestyle was very important for the audience to understand why they did what they did, and it was executed flawlessly. The desperation of Moon Gwang and Geun Se is clearly evident and excellently filmed. The ignorance of the Parks is also hinted towards at times in the movie. The scene of that one rainy night in the movie, where all three families are shown in all their ignorance, their selfishness, and their desperation, can serve as a perfect example of this directed masterpiece.

The direction also gives room for flexibility to the story, due to which it embarks on other details as, the Kims were evidently happier in their run down semi-basement rather than in the Park's luxurious home. It gives us a sense of belonging, how, even after the Kims had tried everything to blend in with the Parks, they still reeked of their past. Finally, it goes to show us that if you keep looking down on the poor, the poor will, one day, certainly, look back, and you might not enjoy what you see in their eyes.

Soundtrack:

If I'm being honest here, I'd say that Parasite has no soundtrack to accompany the story, and this is not a flaw in the movie, rather it is one of its most uplifting aspects. Only a few times, you may find yourself listening to a rather subtle piano, guitar or violin in the background, but for the rest of the movie, the directer preferred silence, which heightens the building tension in the movie. Even when the characters are suffering in the rain, the director neglects any use of music to ruin the moment and lets it silently sink in for the audience.

Recommendation:

As mentioned before, it is rather difficult to chose a single genre for this movie. Which is exactly why i would recommend it to you all. Since, it is hard to put my finger on it, I hope that all of you might find something in the movie to your liking and, more importantly, something to thing about, something to reflect on. So, give it a try, I'm sure it'll surprise you.