Parasite: A Window to Reality

Bong Joon Ho knows how to tell a story, and his films stand as a testament to this claim. Parasite is one of my favorite movies from the modern era because of its transparency and depth.  There is so much to discuss with Parasite, but I want to shine light on the opening and closing shots. 

The first and last shots of the movie not only symbolize the mental state of character Ki-Woo, they are a gateway to understanding how ‘fixed’ economic status is.  Throughout the film, we watch the Kim family invade the Parks household to obtain a sense of wealth and power in themselves, but evidently, they finish off in a terrible place.  Mr. Kim is hiding in the basement of the Park's former house, Ki-Jung is dead, and Chung-sook is back at home taking care of Ki-Woo, who is injured and filled with unattainable dreams.  One of the major subjects of Parasite is status, specifically financial status.  In our current economic system, there is a wide divide between the elite and working class; in order to achieve wealth, simply making more money or living lavishly will not resolve the struggle. 

The first shot shows the window of the Kims living area, there is sunlight radiating from outside while Ki-Woo sits on his phone.  I feel that Bong Joon Ho did this to reflect the ‘calm before the storm,’ which ironically, also addresses the dichotomy of the weather and time of day.  The Kims are poor, they cannot afford to live in a place that is above the floor and we understand this before even seeing their clustered home.  For the rest of the film, they go to extreme heights to bring their dream life to fruition.  The Parks succumb to the Kims’ manipulation early on, allowing destruction into their home before it is too late to avoid.  I would argue that this is the reason that the Kims’ dilemma was so incredible in the end.  In the last image of the window, the night sky illuminates the darkness and emptiness that lurks in the Kim's home.  Ki-woo’s sedated expression perfectly sums up the search for hope in an unfortunate situation.  I found this shot to be a strong symbol for the ‘fixation’ of economic status.  The Kim family cheated their way into riches, and everything fell on their heads.  All of their hard work accounted for nothing, as they ended up back in the home that was once a place of content.  Most people who are in low-income households will probably never move up the ladder, which is dreadful but true.  The parallel of both shots emphasize this fact.  Parasite is a commentary on our society and I love that the film is engaging and thought provoking.