The Sins of the Father in Parasite
The Korean film Parasite directed and written by Bong Joon-ho was pretty dang good. BUT I have my thoughts of course.
I am normally extremely hesitant to consume a movie, show, game, book, etc., if it is loved by critics. For obvious reasons, I am distrustful of critics. Despite my concerns, Parasite was fantastic. It was incredibly entertaining with complex characters, engaging dialogue and a gripping story the likes of which I haven’t felt since…
Like all pieces of art, there are themes. In Parasite, the theme of class is made quite apparent, as it is literally in the description of the movie. The movie is most likely so praised by western critics because it is so overtly about class, a staple of Marxism. However, I’ll spare you from politics (as they are in everything now) and I’ll just give you my thoughts on the ending, which I felt was the one shortcoming of the film.
Bear in mind, there will be spoilers ahead and I highly recommend you watch the film first. I mean come on, this is just a blog about a great movie, just watch the dang movie. Also, as always, this is my opinion, so my take will have a flavoring of bias.
Parasite follows the Kim family as they scheme and manipulate themselves into the employment of the Park family. The Kim family is really poor, and the Park family is really rich. Everything from screen time to point of view causes the audience to innately side with the Kim family (myself included).
However, outside of being poor and underprivileged, the Kim family are exceptionally cool characters. Particularly the son and daughter of the Kim family. They are so clever and resourceful that it would be difficult not to like them. (I also really liked the Dad of the Park family; it must have been his voice. The dude sounded like manly honey.) The film does more than simply say “these characters are poor, feel sorry for them.” However, you as the audience are made to root for the Kim family over the Park family and the basement-dwelling family.
The genius part of this movie is that the Kim family is totally in the wrong the whole film. They lie, manipulate, blackmail, and even murder to achieve more wealth. It’s incredibly exciting to watch them do these things, which is evidence of the fantastic writing, but at the end of the day, they are still morally wrong.
Of course, the other families are guilty of sin as well but not nearly to the same extremes as the Kim family. The Dad of the Park family is only the bad guy because he doesn’t like the way poor people smell and because it is hinted that he may not love his wife. In the same way, the Mother of the Park family is propped up as an antagonistic force because she is spoiled and because she might do drugs.
It is possible that Bong Joon-ho is pulling a Paradise Lost on the audience. In the same way that Milton tricked his reader into sympathizing with Satan, the audience is convinced by Bong to root for the Kim family. Only in reflection do we suddenly realize that we took the side of the real villains.
However, I would provide pushback to my own theory because the Kim family does have the best ending of all the families. Despite the death of their daughter, they achieve the desire of their hearts: wealth, specifically in the form of the house they had been coveting the whole film. One might argue that their desire came at great cost, which it did, but thematically the cost could have and should have been much greater.
Let me example what I mean. The Father of the Kim family might be the closest thing to a main character in the movie (but not really, because the film does a brilliant job of dividing screen time and inner dialogue between the males of the Kim family, so it is hard to say for certain if it is the Father or the Son). The Father’s deepest desire is to provide a future for his children, manifested in the form of enough wealth to send them to college. Effectively, providing his children with stable futures for themselves and their future children. All of his choices are made with this one core desire in mind.
Yet, he is made a complicated character because of his inability to plan for the future. He even tells his son that the best plan is no plan at all because you avoid the possibility of your plan failing. Therefore, the most devastating thing to have happened to him would have been for all of his children to die.
Karma certainly catches up to the Kim family for their past sins. The daughter is stabbed to death, their house is flooded, and the patriarch of the Kim family must remain in hiding for the rest of his life. But it’s not enough.
My problem with the ending of the film is that the Father of the Kim family doesn’t lose both of his children. I know, quite morbid of me. Nevertheless, the death of both of his children would have made much more sense within the established themes and character motivations of the film.
Despite all of his lies, despite all of his conniving, despite all of his efforts, his sins ultimately caught up to him. In the end, he couldn’t do enough to provide a future for his children. And that, for me, would have been a more satisfying ending.
That was a long-winded ramble. Seriously though, this movie was super rad. Obviously, I thought it could have been better, I mean, the Kim son straight up gets his head crushed by the symbolic good luck rock of material wealth and he still survives. A missed opportunity to be sure.
That being said, Parasite was still one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. If you don’t trust the critics, trust me at least! I highly recommend it.
