PARASITE

06.01.23

(SPOILER WARNING)

Parasite is directed and co-written by Bong Joon-Ho along with Han Jin-won, and follows the Kim family, composed of Ki Taek, Chung Sook, Ki Woo and Ki Jung who are all living in extreme poverty, quite literally below ground-level. Once an opportunity arises for Ki Woo to become hired as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy Park family, each member of the Kim family slowly begins to infiltrate and scam their way into joining the ranks of upper class society.

Based on this description alone, it is abundantly clear that this film is commenting on classism. Though these themes are very apparent and obvious upon first viewing, a further analytical inspection reveals some of the more subtle approaches utilized to convey these same themes. For instance, the production design is oozing with detail in both of the family’s houses throughout the film. As already mentioned, not only is the Kim house below ground-level, but it is also a tight and condensed space which is contrasted by the Park’s spacious and luxurious home that is high above ground-level.

With the Kims having minimal space for their belongings and other crucial house appliances that are seemingly compacted against one another, it can automatically be assumed that the reason for the Parks having minimal interior design is due to having enough storage space for their belongings so they can live in feasible comfort. Additionally, another subtle instance of production design occurs during Ki Woo’s formal interview with Yeon Kyo, when he sees the Park’s original housekeeper Moon Gwang wake her up outside through a cornered window which acts as a physical divider between the rich and poor. This of course provides excellent foreshadowing of the twist later involving Moon Gwang after she is let go of her position by the Park family. 

When it comes to the use of cinematography, there are significant ideas of class disparity presented through both lighting and color grading. The Kim house consists of permeating dull colors including green, gray, tan and brown to name a few. Once the Park house is first revealed through an up the stairs tracking shot, it becomes apparent those same colors are also part of their house. Since the Park house is located at an incredibly high elevation point, they in turn have better access to direct sunlight whereas the Kims have several physical structures towering over their lowly elevated house. 

To illustrate this idea further, noisy rackets are more of a common occurrence near the Kim house since they live in a more crowded area, whereas there is often a peaceful quietness up by the Park house. Lastly, the Kim’s family toilet only reinforces the idea of how low they are below ground-level, since they literally have to climb up a small flight of stairs in order to use it. These are just a handful of reasons as to why I adore Parasite. I personally consider this film to be one of my favorites of all time since it seamlessly blends together an abundance of different genres and themes so brilliantly. The use of production design only helps to solidify the ideas presented in the film’s tightly crafted screenplay.