The film Parasite, released in 2019 and directed by Bong Joon Ho, portrays the story of a Korean family, the Kim family, who are struggling to make ends meet. When a family friend tells the son, Ki-woo, about a job opportunity tutoring a very wealthy family, the Kim family sets about developing an elaborate scam, through which they all end up working for the Park family, and finally are able to bring in a substantial income. When the Park family are away on a campus trip, the Kim family discover a strange secret in the Park house and the plot continues to intensify from there.

On the surface, this film presents a reflection of and a commentary on class structures and disparity. The Park family, with their large, open floorplan house, which was designed by a famous architect, is presented in sharp contrast to the crumbling basement dwelling of the Kim family. The Park family is also presented as extravagantly wealthy, to the point at which they basically throw money at their problems in order to get rid of them.

Yet, although wealthy, they are not portrayed as particularly sharp-witted, given the fact that they are completely unaware of the deceptions which the Kim family carries out against them. The Kim family, on the other hand, while clearly destitute, are depicted as incredibly skilled and intelligent.

Yet, Parasite goes further than a mere reflection on the differences between poor and rich, or the inequality that exists between the classes. More fundamentally, the film is about exploring what humans will do in order to survive and in an effort to preserve themselves and their family.

In some ways, this theme has become rather overused in film in the recent decade. Yet, despite its frequent appearances, it remains an intriguing concept, perhaps due to the number of directions in which such a theme can be taken narratively, while still remaining realistic.

However, there is an element of concern regarding the manner in which such a theme is presented.

Watch my full review here: