For this cultural post, I want to talk about a Korean movie that won four Oscar awards -- 기생충(Parasite). This movie is influential because it depicts and reflects realistically the gap between the rich and the poor in Korea. Parasite’s message isn’t particularly subtle; the meaning is right there in the title. Parasite tells the story of a poverty-stricken family, the Kims, who cunningly place themselves in the service of the Parks, an obscenely wealthy household who have been unknowingly harboring a stranger in their basement for years. The basement-dwellers could be easily viewed as parasitic, along with the Kims; the two families rely on the Parks for income, food, and shelter, and enter their house deceptively, aggressively competing with each other. Parasite outlines how the working class are forced into conflict against one another, fighting for scraps, while families like the Parks live a comfortable life, fueled by the labor of the many individuals working beneath them. The Parks are not depicted as villains, but in their naivety and casual entitlement, their parasitic nature is laid bare. The rainstorm that floods the Kim’s house with sewage, followed by the extravagant birthday party for a spoiled child, being raised to believe he is an artist (while being taught by a genuinely talented artist) clearly illustrates the imbalance.
What surprises me the most is knowing that Kim clan is not the only "parasite" in the house but the former servant is a "parasite" as well. This movie shows conflicts and disparity between different classes of people throughout and subtlely without telling a word that Kim's are poor and Park's are rich, this information is all shown by small details and the surroundings. There is one specific scene where father Kim is introduced by his daughter to the Parks as a driver, he is sitting outside of a glass room waiting for the Park finishing the meeting. The clear border between glasses is considered as the gap between the rich and the poor in Korea. The rich will also be powerful, superior and "big" in society just as the size of the image of Park comparing with that of father Kim. It also implies that the poor are trying to cross the borderline and draw food, money and shelter from the rich.
Comments
Hey Raymond!
I've been meaning to watch this movie but haven't had a chance until it recently came out on Hulu. I finally got around to watch this movie, and I have to say that it was quite an interesting experience. Up until now, most of my exposure to Korean entertainment was through Korean TV drama, Idol game shows, and Korean pop music video. I was caught off guard with how different the atmosphere of the movie compared to the Korean media that I'm so used to watching.
As an Economics major, I thought the movie did an amazing job of portraying late-stage capitalism and income discrepancy as well as how removed from reality the wealthy can be. Like that chain of "recommendations" was nothing less of a bunch of red flags going off.
I'm not familiar with Korean culture and take on income inequality, but I know that it is a big issue in Vietnam. Not only is the country one of the poorest in the world (average income of $100), corruption is rampant. There are measures in place to make sure that some people will never escape poverty.
I think Parasite did extremely well with its parallels to the real world, that is the stairs. While the Park family lived in a beautiful house designed by a well-known architect, the Kim and Moon (I think?) families lived in basement dwellings and survived by living off the scraps of the Park. I remember reading somewhere that the movie was not only meant to point out the conflicts between the lower and higher class but also the conflicts that exists between the lower class members. I think that the Kim and Moon could have worked together but in an attempt to rise up the social ladder, the Kim (literally) kicked the Moon down to secure their position.
Honestly, I could go on about this movie and its metaphors but I'll stop here today. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Raymond!
I absolutely loved your post as Parasite is probably one of the best and most challenging movies I have ever seen. I remember leaving the movie theater and not being able to speak for quite literally at least an hour afterward because the movie was so shocking. To be honest, going into this movie I didn't know it was a Korean film as my sister told me not to look up anything about it before seeing it so it was an added bonus for me that the movie was in Korean. Watching the disparity between the two families was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. In my opinion, this movie had no winners in the end. The economy is a big aspect of Korea that I haven't researched much or know too much about. This movie is a perfect gateway and look inside an exaggerated example of the economy. This movie is by far one of the most complex masterpieces that can continue to be broken down and analyzed.
For me, since I am not too familiar with Korean culture I wondered how much more significant this movie would have been or what other subtle things I may have missed out on since I am not Korean myself or a native speaker. Even though there were subtitles I'm sure being a native speaker or fluent in Korean would have allowed me to perhaps pick up on more messages specific to Korean culture and the language. Perhaps, I would have learned a bit more about the informal and formal usage used throughout especially considering the wildly different socioeconomic classes between the two families. Thank you so much for posting about this movie, Raymond. I certainly still think about it even now!
Raymond, thanks for sharing your post on "Parasite". I also recently watched this and reflected on the countless symbolism portrayed throughout the film. I thought this particular movie grabbed so many people's attention because pretty much anyone from any culture could relate and identify the disparity between people of different socioeconomic classes. Also, thank you for pointing out the scene with the glass window; I actually did not realize the meaning of this until you pointed it out. There are so many metaphors!