Parasite | Movie Guide

Welcome to our Colossus Movie Guide for Parasite. This guide contains everything you need to understand the movie. You’ll find a quick explanation of Parasite, as well as our library of material covering key aspects of the movie. We encourage comments to help us put together the best possible guide. Thank you!

The Quick Explanation

Parasite is a perfect example of showing-over-telling. It shows us the juxtaposition between two families. One with little resources. Another with an abundance of resources. The way in which the two families become entangled becomes a euphemism for the economic dynamics within populations. How wealth distribution leads to inequality that creates classism that leads to conflict.

There’s specific commentary about opportunities in 21st century South Korea but the ideas extend to most countries across the world. There are the haves and the have nots. Bong uses changes in elevation, often via stairs, to reinforce the idea of sinking into poverty or rising up into wealth. It’s a very dark comedy that ends quite bitterly. Ki-woo’s motivation to save his father and family is, it’s implied, prove hopeless. In that way, Ki-woo becomes Bong’s commentary on the modern youth of South Korea and the seeming dead end they face despite dreams and ambition.

Parasite also has a geo-political aspect that can take the conversation into the relationship South Korea has with North Korea, Japan, America, and Europe. Theft of land and war get reduced to children’s toys and an example of how to arrange tables for a birthday party.