P(overty)arasite: A Film Analysis
By: Trevor S. Omamalin, A8-7
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime”
- Aristotle
Even though the quote above was said circa 300 BCE, in our contemporary world the saying still
retains its strength and relevance if not becoming an even more powerful and more relevant statement.
Although the meaning of the quote is apparent, emphasis is still needed for the purpose of this analysis.
The quote essentially states that poverty is one of the root causes of why people commit stealing things
that they have and desperately want or need or causes them to rebel against the system and the current
state of their lives to remove them from the state of scarcity that they are in.
Poverty is one of the central themes in the movie Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho. In
this movie, the Kims are struggling yet aspiring people that are sitting on the poverty line trying to climb
their way up the social and financial ladder doing odd jobs in which some can be considered – and some
really are – illegal. Through this, they crossed paths with the Parks, a wealthy family who have more money
than the things they can spend the money on. With this crossing of paths, many things conspired between
them, with the Parks having little to no knowledge of the different (although witty and smart) malicious and
parasitic-like actions done by the Kims. All of these things were captured and projected by masterful
cinematography and the use of the five different semiotic theories, in which this paper wishes to address
some of the scenes which characterized a strong connection to one of the central themes, poverty.
[7:24] The Viewing Stone’s First Appearance. [53:06] The Viewing Stone’s Second Appearance.
[1:37:20] The Viewing Stone’s Third Appearance. [1:51:51] The Viewing Stone’s Fourth Appearance.
At around the start of the movie Ki-woo’s friend, Min, gave Ki-woo a gift, a Viewing stone. Min
said that the rock came from his grandfather and it was said that it would bring material wealth to their
family, the family of the Kims. Ki-woo accepted it and commented that it was so metaphorical, figurative,
and due to that exchange it became clear to the author of this paper that the viewing stone meant more
to Ki-woo than just bringing material wealth to their family, rather it signifies his aspirations and dreams to
become rich and wealthy and over the course of the movie, it appears several times, each time signifying
something different about Ki-woo’s aspiration’s current state.
After the arrival of the viewing stone in Ki-woo’s hands, he can be observed to take bold actions
as is evident in forging his diploma to be accepted as a private tutor in the Park’s residence. During those
moments in the movie, Ki-woo’s aspiration is finally addressed and dreams are finally starting to come
true, giving him the idea that he has become the master of his reigns and this can be clearly seen during
the second appearance of the viewing stone. As a drunkard was urinating near their house, Ki-woo
grabbed the viewing stone with the intention of using it as a weapon, this act further reinforces the
boldness that he has gained during this point of the movie. However, all great things must come to an
end, after enjoying the fruits of their labor and finally living the luxurious life that they so desired they are
then quickly reminded that this is only a momentary moment as they almost got caught and were forced
to go back to their home only to find it flooded. There in the midst of the murky water flooding their home,
Ki-woo found his viewing stone appearing faintly, here Ki-woo’s aspirations are shown as being challenged
and on the verge of being taken away from him and it was shown later on as they slept in the evacuation
center that Ki-woo won’t let go of his aspirations that easily.
Ki-woo was about to realize that although his aspirations might be considered valid, his means of
getting it was not the right path. As he tried to kill the person living below the Park’s residence using the
viewing stone, the situation took a turn as the person got a hold of Ki-woo’s viewing stone. In a scurry to
evade his attacker, Ki-woo tried to run away but was alas caught and bashed in the head with the viewing
stone. At that moment, it figuratively told the audience that Ki-woo’s aspiration is the cause of his demise.
Instilling in his head, figuratively and literally, that achieving one’s dreams will take much more than just
faking your way through.
Ki-woo’s fate can also be predicted and seen in the form that the viewing stone took. The viewing
stone can be seen to be like a graph coming to a peak, but then sharply going down after. Ki-woo reached
what he wanted but was then immediately taken away from him, a fate and an aspiration that was not at
the right time nor at the right place.
[12:12 - 12:33] Ki-woo compared to the walls of his residence to the walls of his potential tutoring gig’s
residential area.
As Ki-woo proceeded to go to the Park’s residence – his potential tutoring gig – he was met with
a difference in wall height. At his residence, the walls and windows were positioned reasonably with
respect to his body, and the spatial distance between him and such walls was close, signifying that he is
familiar with those types of walls, indicating that he was born and raised in a poverty-stricken situation.
However, as he arrived at the residential area of the Park’s, there was a stark difference between the height
of the walls. At the Park’s residential area, Ki-woo was minute compared to the walls, he was often seen
looking up just to see the end of the perimeter walls. These scenes symbolize and put an emphasis on the
current economical status and social status of Ki-woo and his family. Compared to the Park’s, the Kim’s
are just like ants, insignificant to the eyes of the rich and wealthy showing the clear divide and difference
between the different social classes.
[52:01] First mention of smell. [1:27:46] Second mention of smell.
Aside from the viewing stone, the smell is one of the recurring things mentioned in the movie. The
first mention of smell was when Da-song smelt a similarity in smell between Mr. Kim and Mrs. Kim, the
second occurrence of smell was when the Kim family hid from the sudden arrival of the Park family from
their vacation due to bad weather. Smell, in the sense brought about by the movie, is the distinction
between the social status classes. The movie explains the reason why they can’t get rid of the smell and
it was stated that it is due to the place that they are living in, this statement further reinforces that there
clearly is a division and you can be attributed as being poor due to your smell, meaning poorness has a
certain smell that can’t be washed of easily even if you really want to take it off.
Furthermore, as they were hiding under the coffee table during the second mention of their smell,
it became clear that the Parks did not like the smell of them, signifying that they look down on those that
earn less than them, feeling a sense of superiority over them. In addition, with the inability to cover their
ears and shut off the words spoken by the Parks about their smell, they took them hit by hit reminding
them that that is what they are, smelly, poor.
[1:29:21] The “Clockwise” Scene.
Although this scene is not related to the central theme that the author of this film analysis is trying
to address, it is, however, important to tackle as it still pertains to a certain construct in our society.
Regarded to the author of this paper as the “Clockwise” scene in the movie, this scene in the
movie shows the social construct that the husband provides and the woman just receives what is given.
In the form of pleasure, Mr. Park gave what Mrs. Park wanted and with vigor. This tells us something about
the dynamic that is present in the Park family and is present as well in some families existing in the world
today, that there are certain roles given to different family members. Furthermore, with how Mr. Park wraps
Mrs. Park around his arms signifies that Mr. Park has control over Mrs. Park, showing yet again how their
family dynamic works, with Mr. Park as the sort of “master” of their household.
The viewing stone, the smell, the stark difference between the house walls of the Kims to the
perimeter walls of the Parks, and the social construct being emphasized by the “Clockwise scene”, one
might consider that this movie has meaning hidden behind every scene and shot. Each angle serving a
purpose, each dialogue giving depth to the characters and giving the audience the guide to interpret the
characters on their own. In my case, as the author of this analysis paper, the scenes mentioned above are
those that stood out to me the most. However, the movie gave me an impact much more than what the
scenes I’ve laid out above have. I thought that this movie was something about a virus or a film about
zombies, but once the credits of the movie rolled, I was left with a feeling of melancholy and emptiness,
something that I only feel towards shows that truly have an impact and have me invest all my attention
towards it. Perhaps the reason why I felt what I felt is that I can relate to the state of the Kims up to a
certain extent. Relate to them not in terms of the crimes that they have done, but to them pretending to
be rich and trying to go beyond what they truly are. I, too, have been in situations where I do not want to
be in, and I, too, tried to pretend to be someone else just to feel what other people feel when they are of
that status or position, and usually, I meet the same fate as the Kims, a fate that is undesirable. Thus, one
of the things that echoed through my head whilst watching the movie for a second time was “do not try
to be something that you are not”, because I have known and learned what happens when you do.
Captivating, breathtaking, and seat-gripping. Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho is truly a
masterpiece of its time and still stands as one even now. The movie delivers to the audience different
representations of how poverty can manifest and of how divided the world of the rich and wealthy are from
the world of the poor. From the title “Parasite” which within the context of the movie relates the parasitic
relationship between the Kims and the Parks, all the way to the different scenes, this movie truly embodies
and represents what Aristotle said about poverty, and I, for one, believe that there is still more to this movie
than meets the eye.