Today, we're discussing Parasite, the Oscar-winning Korean film directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Song Kang Ho, Choi Woo Sik, Park So Dam, Jang Hye Jin, Lee Sun Kyun, Cho Yeo Jeong, Lee Jung Eun, and Park Myung Hoon. Joining us for this special episode is our friend Ellen Sullivan, screenwriter and movie critic extraordinaire. We discuss:
Why Parasite became the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, in addition to Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.
The Kim family's elaborate social engineering scheme to infiltrate the wealthy Park household and why trust and referrals make the con possible.
The symbolism of the semi-basement apartment, the Park family's hilltop home, and the hidden bunker beneath the house as visual representations of class and social hierarchy.
How the film dramatically shifts in tone at its midpoint, transforming from a dark comedy into a suspenseful psychological thriller.
Why the Park family's comments about the Kim family's "smell" become one of the film's most powerful metaphors for poverty, class, and social exclusion.
The Scholar's Rock (Suseok), its cultural significance, and how it evolves from a symbol of hope and prosperity into an instrument of tragedy.
Whether hard work, education, and determination are still enough to achieve upward mobility in modern South Korea—or anywhere else.
The themes of plans versus fate, social mobility, inequality, and the myth that anyone can escape the circumstances of their birth.
Which characters, if any, are the true "parasites," and whether the relationships in the film are parasitic, commensal, or mutually beneficial.
Whether the tragic ending was inevitable and if any of the families truly deserved the fate that awaited them.
Ellen's screenwriting analysis of Bong Joon Ho's remarkable construction of the story, including why the house itself functions as the film's McGuffin.
The outstanding performances from the all-star cast, including Song Kang Ho, Choi Woo Sik, Cho Yeo Jeong, Lee Jung Eun, and the surprise appearance of Park Seo Jun.
The history of Seoul's semi-basement apartments (banjiha), their origins, and why they have become such a powerful symbol in Korean society.
The conclusion of Season 14, our announcement that Hospital Playlist will be the show we discuss in Season 15 of K Drama Chat, and a preview of our upcoming special episode talking about Joanna's trip to the Philippines before we begin our next K Drama.
K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.
Hi all!!! I love the movie I've seen it a couple times. I was gonna watch again but alas, it's gone from Netflix? Anyway, i enjoyed the episode nonetheless and the difference of opinions on certain things. I also wanna say that I'm excited for the next season since I started a rewatch on HP but it got set aside due to a lot of new, shiny things and old gems as well. So now I would be watching alongside of you guys!
ReplyDeleteJoanna, I am looking forward to your vacation report 😀 since I haven't been home for a long time!
Thank you all and have a nice weekend!!!
I've been waiting for this episode. Thank you for discussing Parasite. This movie is actually my gateway to Hallyu. And Bong Joon Ho's iconic line finally made sense, why did I let the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles stop me from enjoying so many amazing films? Parasite gets better in every watch which only proves why it won the Oscars. Lee Sun Kyun was a favorite actor, oh to hear that deep voice. I couldn't watch anything he was on for about a year after he passed away.
ReplyDeleteJoanna, I am looking forward to the next episode about your Philippine trip. And thanks to you and Sunghee for choosing Hospital Playlist for your next season. I loved that series, and would love to watch it again alongside your discussion. I did appreciate my rewatching of Our Unwritten Seoul because of your discussion. I re-ranked my top K-dramas from last year, and it 's now on #2.
I”m excited about Hospital Playlist! I’ve started it twice, but didn’t get far as I couldn’t keep track of the characters and I don’t enjoy some of the medical stuff. But I know this drama is a beloved classic, so I will try it again with your podcasts to help me out!
ReplyDeleteI learned what 'social engineering' means, thank you!
ReplyDeleteVery much looking forward to rewatching Hospital Playlist week by week with the Kdrama Chat team. Will be skipping the gory operations though. I just ... don't need to see that. :)
Loved the episode.
ReplyDeleteOh! where to start?
I have SO much to say about this film and its themes.
Artistically the film is excellent. Extremely well written, and acted. As Ellen mentioned, it manages something very few pieces of art can do.
It is highly entertaining for those who just want a story, but it is loaded to the brim with socioeconomic messages. It tells you so many things without being preachy or taking sides. It presents you with the issues, and let you decide.
While direct messaging can also be good and certainly has its place (and I loved lots of these films), I prefer this kind more as I started to get older.
I really dislike the “ perfect victims”/”perfect villains” stories because they shift the focus from the system to individuals.
The Kims are not perfect, and the Parks are not horrible, but the situation and circumstances are terrible. It is the system that allows such disparity is the problem.
Your life is largely determined when you are born. Yes, there are always those who can escape, but from a statistical point of view they are anomaly.
Studies showed the differences between children born to wealthy parents vs poor parents start showing up by age of 3. By age of 5 is already too late for poor kids to catch up, and that gap increases the older they get.
It is Hunger Games for most people. The district kids kill each other so that one winner emerges. Yes, there is a winner, but there are 23 dead. The so called free press is owned by few billionaire families. And what do you think these are going to tell you and what messages are going to keep repeating?
If you dare and say lets share a tiny bit of all that food with those who are hungry, the “free press” machine start its onslaught on you and you are labelled as rich hater, anti-success, and hounded and your character is assassinated.
The visual storytelling is amazing in this film. One can write a dissertation just about the stairs.
One of my favourite scenes in it is when it starts to heavily pour. While the Kim family rushes downstairs to their half basement completely soaked, the Park family admires the rain and enjoys it.
You don’t need long speeches to get the message across. Just simple rain.
Parasite (and Korean storytelling in general) is masterful in genre blending.
Bong Joon Ho absolutely killed it here (by the way, did Mr Park in those last scenes said I had” No Other Choice” but to invite Mr Kim to the party?), and despite all my reservations about awards, it was a historic moment winning The Oscar.
Also, BJH accepting speech was pure gem! I have never seen a winner who spent all his allocated time praising his fellow nominee.
The film resonated with people all around the world because its themes are valid everywhere (maybe apart from handful places).
S15. I won’t lie, or mince my words. I am disappointed with the choice and most likely will sit it out. I used to be medical drama addict. As far back as Chicago Hope. But, they stopped to interest me.
The highly popular Doctor Romantic was just about good, but I was really bored towards the end. Doctor Slump is sitting in the basement and a contender for worst Kdrama I have completed. I started Doctor Cha, but dropped it. I started Resident Playbook, but dropped it. The Pitt (American) that is making huge noises, I am not watching.
Also, the fact that they are going to sing a lot is a turn off. As I often said, most songs don’t appeal to me or I am largely indifferent. I can do something short, but 12 episodes is too much. The run time is also a lot. They are essentially 12 films.
I realise it is one of the most beloved series and I am sure it will be a hit season, but I am afraid almost certainly I will not participate.
Currently I am watching action series “Agent Kim Reactivated” on Netflix. This show is very generic. It is very similar to American shows. It is entertaining, but has almost zero substance. It is your cut and paste former Agent forced back into action kicking asses everywhere while a whole list of people after him.
That's interesting that you think people could watch Parasite just to enjoy the story without appreciating the message, Seven Seas. I wouldn't have thought so?
DeleteI guess I just found the whole scenario so off-putting that I could *only* appreciate it for the message. And I haaated the transition to full-on violence, even though I know why it was done.
It reminded me a bit of Animal Farm. (Apparently someone is making a film version with a happy ending? I mean, why?)
I still enjoyed the Kdrama Chat Parasite analysis, though.
And at least I understand the pop culture references to Parasite that pop up in other Kdramas!
Doremi,
DeleteFair enough. I just have to disagree with you. I think the film has very watchable and entertaining plot.
I am, however, interested to know why the scenario was off-putting? Would you like to elaborate?
Is it that you just don't like violence (mind you, I think it was really mild) and unpleasant characters in your movies? or there are other reasons?
Thanks for asking, Seven Seas, I'll try to explain.
DeleteMy experience of the film is that I was watching representations of *types* of people rather than actual people. The whole.thing felt like an allegory which was there to educate me rather than entertain me.
Plot-wise, it was interesting watching how the 'underclass' hoodwinked and infiltrated the 'upperclass', but when it descended into the mock-schlock-horror stuff, I didn't even have that to appreciate.
I don't like watching violence, its true, there's nothing fun in that for me.
But even more so, I am already very sensitised to injustice, heartlessnes and pain, and it's easy enough in everyday life to feel (and sometimes know) that everything is hopeless without watching it play out on screen.
So that's how I felt about Parasite. :)
Thank you for your reply.
DeleteInteresting. I so disagree with you on the “types”. I don’t think these characters were your typical ones, and this is why I think Parasite is great.
These characters were complicated with contradicting qualities.
I also strongly disagree that the “underclass” hoodwinked the “upperclass”. The “switch” wasn’t the outcome of careful and meticulous plan. It was very opportunistic. The sister getting the job was very believable. The father was a bit harder. The mother admittedly needed some suspension of disbelief, but I believe it was well within the dramatic license.
The wife was a bit naive, but when you consider some of richest and most clever people fall for scams because they trust recommendations, it is hardly a stretch that the wife fell for the Kim’s scheme.
The husband just wasn’t involved in the domestic issues.
But most importantly, the “switch” wasn’t presented (at least to me) as some kind of victory, or a “heist” accomplished. It was just mere scam so they can get simple job, and not that great either.
If anything “the switch” showed the desperation and misery of the poor. They had to commit so much dishonesty, crush their fellow poor, constantly sucking up to the Park (a very far cry from hoodwinking them) just to get some simple and basic jobs.
Thanks for engaging with my experience of Parasite, Seven Seas.
DeleteI'm happy that so many people appreciated it, and comfortable with saying it is just not my cup of tea. I'm not trying to convince anyone to share my opinion, which is clearly not that of the the majority.
Likewise Doremi.
DeleteThe intention is not to convince you. I just like to have an exchange with people with different point of view knowing that I won't be told that I am stupid or moron on this blog.
Sadly, there is so much intolerance on the net.
We can disagree on a film, but still gush on a song/songwriter at the same time.
I didn't mean to imply that American shows have zero substance. That sentence was unrelated to the one before it :)
ReplyDeleteHi Seven Seas, loved all your comments, especially on the show-don’t-tell genius of Bong Joon Ho in this movie. It cause all three of us on the episode to reflect on our own attitudes and assumptions about people different than ourselves. And with never a whisper of judgement.
DeleteOf course you’re free to decide, but I urge you to give Hospital Playlist a try for a few episodes. It does have depth and medical accuracy, and the music plays a minor but important role as a bond between the characters in an amusing way, since the medical and ethical issues are serious. I’ve seen medical dramas that are just glorified soap operas, and this show is not that. No serial killers though!
This is a selfish request, because I always enjoy your commentary, positive or negative. We all do!
I second that motion. :) I'm not that fussed on medical dramas either. HP is about the lives of the five friends, mostly. I love music, but the band stuff is pretty peripheral really, so, impressive as it is that the actors all actually play/sing, it isn't the heart of the show.
DeleteOk Ladies. I will reconsider :)
DeleteI checked the writer, because that is a key factor. It is the same of Reply 1988.
So, I will probably watch at least E01.
FWIW Seven Seas, it stars Jeon Mi-Do who is amazing and somehow has been in virtually nothing since this series.
DeleteJeon Mi-do is first and foremost a music theatre actor (famous for playing Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd) who crossed over to film and TV. She's been busy with stage shows since HP. (I think the decision to make her a bad singer in this show was a big 'in joke'.)
DeleteOh, 100%. She is so good at singing so bad! I kind of figured she was doing musical theatre. Its just a shame for those of us who don't get to take in a lot of Korean musical theatre! :-(
DeleteI hope there'll be more access to internationally televised live music theatre in the future. I prefer that, in general, to cinematic reinterpretations. Problem is, you need the live show to make money first, and that's becoming harder for investors and producers.
DeleteDoremi,
DeleteOh! I didn't know that about her. She looks a bit young for "Mrs Lovett, but I checked YouTube, and I found "Little Priest". But, I am afraid that is not a song to show off your vocals.
Side note. I LOVE that song in English. I would say best song in musical theatre employing wordplay.
P.S: I watched E01. It was nice with some emotional scenes, but I can't say I loved it. Anyway, more about it next week.
Yep, Sondheim was the best of the best. What a wordsmith.
DeleteE01 of HP didn't grab me much either, TBH, but I stuck with it and was glad I did.
Well, this was certainly an interesting movie and podcast.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this likely won Best Picture because its biggest takeaway was economic disparity between the families. Even though it is a Korean movie, this could have been set in parts of the US or the UK. I know plenty of relatively wealthy (not necessarily uber wealthy) families who rely on relatively poor people to take care of their household and take care of their kids. However, in the US, it is often minority immigrants who are doing this work.
I am still surprised at how much income inequality there is in South Korea. Generally, very rich countries that are racially or culturally homogenous typically have greater social safety nets and income equality. I am thinking of countries like those in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and maybe even Japan (although I know less about income inequality there). My theory is that more social and economic protections were often pushed by left leaning political parties who were then accused of being socialist or communist. And with North Korea on the doorstep and right leaning military dictatorships supported by the U.S., those policies were seen as a gateway to communism and did not take root. Just a theory….
I also struggled with the title Parasite, because in many ways it did not seem like either family was the typical definition of parasite. The Kim’s were not necessarily parasitic, as they were just doing jobs for the Park family that the Park’s wanted done. Granted, they played on the wife’s naiveite, but they didn’t really exploit the Parks. With the exception of the little party they threw while they thought they were camping, the Kim’s did not really take advantage of the Park’s. Although, knowing how this family operated, I could see that becoming the next step. The people they really hurt were the ones they pushed out so they could get their jobs.
I will say that one thing that did not quite make sense was how poor the Kim’s were at the beginning of the movie. That’s because they seemed so incredibly clever and competent about how quickly they seized the opportunity to take all the jobs the Park’s had on offer – and move the prior employees out of the way. It seems a family that tight and good at what they do would have not have had as much trouble doing relatively well for themselves. Also, throwing that party for themselves during that rainstorm seemed awfully careless and somewhat out of character.
As for What’s Malcolm Watching….
I am watching Agent Kim Reactivated. Its fun action adventure with a bit of comedy. Its not deep, but it’s a fun watch – especially if you like fight scenes.
I’m also watching See You at Work Tomorrow on Prime. Yes, it’s a workplace romance, but it is quite thoughtful. There’s very real dialogue and thoughts of the two main characters about entering into the early stages of a relationship and the insecurities and concerns you can have about yourself and the other person – and the other person’s past. Its much better than I expected.
I also just started Spooky in Love on Netflix which stars Park Eun Bin. So even though I’m not a fan of the supernatural, I am expecting good things.
Uh oh, my toilet is overflowing. Gotta go sit on it and smoke cigarette….
Malcolm, I’ll go ahead and watch Agent Kim with So Ji Sub. Would also love know what you think of Spooky In Love as it seems fun from the posts I see.
Delete