Parasite: The Psychology of Money

“As a depiction of ordinary people who fall into an unavoidable commotion, this film is: a comedy without clowns, a tragedy without villains, all leading to a violent tangle of socioeconomic statuses. You are all invited to this unstoppable and fierce tragicomedy.” - Bong Joon Ho, Director of Parasite

I waited far too long to watch Bong Joon Ho’s critically acclaimed film, Parasite, but last night I finally buckled down and went to the local Athens filmhouse, Cine. I was glued to the screen, and not just because it was in Korean and there were subtitles, but because Bong Joon Ho may have just created one of the single best films of the past two decades.

The plot is simple but brilliant

The story follows two families from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. There are the Kims, a very poor family living in a basement, and there are the Parks, a very wealthy family living in a mansion at the top of a hill. Through circumstances, the son of the poor family manages to scam his way into getting a job as an English tutor for the daughter of the Parks. The film then follows as the poor family manages to insert themselves into the lives of the rich family one-by-one until they are completely ingrained in their lives, totally unbeknownst to the wealthy and distant tech-guru husband and his gullible wife.

I will not spoil anything because everyone needs to experience this movie with a blank slate, but let’s just say something happens that changes the lives of both families forever.

The movie is like what Bong Joon Ho said, it’s a tragicomedy. The movie is actually hilarious but without taking away from the seriousness of the overall message and theme. When the film gets serious though, it transitions between making you laugh to feeling guilty about laughing.

The psychology and perspective of money

What I liked most about this movie was how it portrayed the two families and their perspective on life based on their economic status. Unlike most Hollywood movies, it did not vilify the rich family or simplify the poor family. The rich family don’t exactly do anything to make the Kims hate them. The rich husband is a respectable man who loves his kids and the mother is a naive woman who just wants what’s best for her kids. The poor family shows us that just because people are poor does not mean they are not capable. The husband and wife did nothing wrong in life, they were simply not fortunate. The son is actually extremely smart, and the daughter (who was robbed of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination) manages to prove she's the most clever of the bunch.

One scene in particular best describes how the director wanted the audience to see how your economic status changes your perspective. It shows the South Korean city during heavy rainfall, and cuts back and forth between the two families. The rich family sit in their living room and appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of the rain. The poor family comes home to find their street and home flooded as we watch their neighbors scrambling to save their belongings.

The Filmmaking

The cinematography was magnificent and I would normally root for it for the best cinematography Oscar but Roger Deakins’s work in 1917 can’t be topped. The film editing was top-notch with the pacing for every scene being impeccable in keeping you invested and following along perfectly even with the reliance on subtitles. The music was also beautiful and balances the tone perfectly.

The script was so good that it has my prediction for the best original screenplay Oscar. I thought that the language barrier and cultural differences would get in the way of a translation from Korean to English, but it was magnificently written. Reading the subtitles takes literally 10 minutes to get used to and before long you’re reading and following so well you'll forget you’re watching a foreign film.

The Academy needs to recognize this.

The Oscars generally piss everyone off, and you can add me to the group because I think they care more about their own image than giving credit to where credit is due. There were a lot of good movies gunning for best picture this year, but I’m putting my money on Parasite. I think it’ll win best original screenplay, best film editing, best foreign film (I’d bet my life savings on this if I could), and of course I think it will win best picture. Fingers crossed.