It lays groundwork for the end sequence of the movie, where Mr Kim uses it to transmit his letter. It also thematically underlines a few things, such as the fact that the housekeeper's husband was once a Scout, as was Mr Kim and as is the Parks' son. I'm sure one could also attempt some interpretation of the idea that the only person capable of seeing and understanding the message is the Parks' son, who pretty quickly disregards it for something more entertaining.
I was thinking back on the beginning of the movie when they're making the pizza boxes to sell and I was wondering if there was any significant meaning behind one of the family member's boxes being bad and causing them to get less money. Did we get an idea of whose they were or if it was foreshadowing to one of the members cause of the downfall?
I was thinking back on the beginning of the movie when they're making the pizza boxes to sell and I was wondering if there was any significant meaning behind one of the family member's boxes being bad and causing them to get less money. Did we get an idea of whose they were or if it was foreshadowing to one of the members cause of the downfall?
Is there a significance to the housekeeper's crazy husband morse coding the light? I thought it was to interact with the little boy, but after jotting down stuff on a notepad, nothing ever materializes?
Well one, he's a mentally broken man by then.
Two, how many times have we been told that we should be grateful towards the rich? What better way to show that then by bashing out a 'thank you' message in more code with your forehead?
just saw this yesterday and the people claiming movie of the year weren't kidding. It's the best movie I've seen this year thus far and everyone should go see it. Still thinking about it today
That was pretty good, keeps you engaged the whole way through. Need to watch it again to catch some of the deeper metaphors in the movie. The trailers for this movie really do it a disservice, they advertise it as a horror/thriller when in reality it is a dark comedy with thriller elements.
Not even really like that either, Get Out places lots of hints here and there to suggest that it's horror Esau's, where as this movie is more of a straight heist with comedy that has moments of thriller drama
Saw this earlier tonight and the praise for this movie is justified. Did my best to close my eyes when I saw the trailer play in the theater and I'm real glad I knew next to nothing.
Just when I'm waiting to see how everything comes crashing down, a new element is presented and the shit on the fan continues to pile up. Dark, twisted and funny and in my top 10 for the year
Man oh man. You commit all those questionable/criminal acts and all you get is probation? Mother and son are lucky as fuck.
This has been added to the list of Korean films Ive seen including I Saw The Devil, and New World. Id put it on par with New World but below I Saw The Devil.
Absolutely loved it. So depressing and encapsulates modern class warfare, and how the rich cannot even be bothered to mask their disgust for those less fortunate than them when they don't need something from them directly.
"I'd be nice too if I was this rich. Nicer!"
Do a lot of Korean streets look alike or is that particular hill outside of the house the same exact one from Burning?
i think it goes beyond just rich vs. poor. the poor family is not necessarily depicted as saints. they adopted a very snobbish attitude once they got into a middle class position (all family members working for decent paying jobs) towards the house maid that was kicked out.
in some sense this movie is very comparable to joker in some of the scenes
i think it goes beyond just rich vs. poor. the poor family is not necessarily depicted as saints. they adopted a very snobbish attitude once they got into a middle class position (all family members working for decent paying jobs) towards the house maid that was kicked out.
He was imagining. The way he ends the letter with "So long." implies that he knows it's a pipe dream. He's writing the letter for himself; he doesn't have any way to actually get it to his father.
Masterful. Cannot remember a film this decade, even by some of the more notorious perfectionists, where I felt the director was so in command. Every shot, every performance, every line in the script felt exactly right.
It's so rare to be so effortlessly manipulated by a film (and, frankly, Bong Joon-Ho's last few films were too clunky for to really click with me). Wow.
I got to experience this the other day (with the help of three assholes who spoke out loud the ENTIRE fucking film) and I can't recommend this masterpiece enough. It's so goddamn good. Holy fuck. I'm going to watch it again this Sunday and hopefully with a far more quiet crowd.
Annoyingly this is leaving all but one local theater tomorrow (the small art house one). So the handful of really nice theaters by me only had it for one week 😕.
I got to experience this the other day (with the help of three assholes who spoke out loud the ENTIRE fucking film) and I can't recommend this masterpiece enough. It's so goddamn good. Holy fuck. I'm going to watch it again this Sunday and hopefully with a far more quiet crowd.
Yeah, this was a rare time that I kept it under control for the sake of not missing out on the story. I'm good friends with the Manager at my Regal since I'm there all of the time, so if I encounter idiots like that again, I'm asking for them to be removed. It's insane to me how rude people are at the movies nowadays. If you are paying money to watch this, just stay home and wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray.
Yeah. People saying it's one of the all time greats and I'm confused. It was an intriguing drama with gorgeous cinematography but it would barely be in my top 5 of the year.
Yeah. People saying it's one of the all time greats and I'm confused. It was an intriguing drama with gorgeous cinematography but it would barely be in my top 5 of the year.
I did not like it at all. Maybe you will, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Saw Parasite for a second time this week (first time at Fantastic Fest) and can confirm that repeat viewings are just as good even with knowing the twists. Some of the parts were even better, lol.
Yeah, this was a rare time that I kept it under control for the sake of not missing out on the story. I'm good friends with the Manager at my Regal since I'm there all of the time, so if I encounter idiots like that again, I'm asking for them to be removed. It's insane to me how rude people are at the movies nowadays. If you are paying money to watch this, just stay home and wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray.
Yeah I seriously don't get. And this isn't some random blockbuster action movie or comedy, etc...if you're paying to see this I don't understand why you're not quiet and there to actually watch the movie.
I saw it in the theatre on Tuesday. It's been a while since I watched something so entertaining in the moment, with enough to chew on afterwards to stick in my mind. The way it all fit together was really cool to me.
I'm pleasantly surprised that the Cineplex was screening it. After trying for ages to find any screening for Burning, I thought maybe I'd miss out on this too, so I bought tickets right away. The theatre was full, too, and it looks like it will be showing for another week.
Having the word 'parasite' in mind was interesting because as the story progressed, it was like the belief that class mobility was possible was the real parasitic force that broke people down. Having a plan is the problem, as the father says when they are in that flood shelter. The ceiling is there and they are just doomed to hit it eventually, no matter how cunning they are. Reality is the semi-basement, and fantasy is thinking they could ever buy that house with all that above-ground light. It's like the dad at the end is in this state of full acceptance - it was either just go to the basement of his own will or be put there by an external force.
The turn towards the gothic was amazing. Going from this moment of drunken fun to seeing the housekeeper on the security monitor looking so messed-up and wrong was perfect. I really love that shit - the secret mad wife in the attic setting fires and casting weird lantern shadows, people thinking the place is haunted etc... it's just so evocative - sinister and ridiculous at the same time. The poor family suddenly realizing that there is a strata below semi-basement and engaging in a tooth-and-nail struggle to keep from sinking into that level is something else. The sheer obliviousness of the rich family in their privilege was so appropriate, too. Why would they know anything? They don't need to. As long as nothing breaks the water line to ruin their view, it doesn't merit attention - they just have to endure a bad smell now and then.
The flood scenes were fantastic. The imagery of the family fleeing and then descending this warren of staircases to reach their home, only to find that it was rendered uninhabitable by the runoff and sewage from those who lived on higher ground. I loved that part with the daughter nonchalantly smoking a cigarette while that elevated toilet (I've seen some crazy bathrooms in Asia, but that was new to me lol) was just spewing sewage. It was also somehow fitting that, if you think of the poor family as being parasites, it's the moment when they try to dig their roots into the rich house a little (the camping trip and rainstorm) when they find that the way back to their not-quite-a-basement has been destroyed. The only options become the impossible (staying in the rich family's good graces while struggling to suppress the threat from below), or the unbearable (sinking to a level below semi-basement).
I'm probably reading too much into it but there is also something about the flood of sewage and the dude who habitually pisses at their window. I mean, when it's an individual neighborhood guy pissing into their window, they can't necessarily stop him but they can confront him, throw a bucket of water on him - there is this idea that they can do something about it. But when all the city's shit just runs down and destroys their home, they have no one to confront and are just completely impotent - it's just the way the system works.
There is also something that kind of struck me about the architect and how he is this kind of presence as the creator of the space they all inhabit. There always was a basement there, but he was really embarrassed to admit it. Like... society's design has this dirty little secret that no one wants to acknowledge, there's always got to be someone to shit on.
I might go see it again if I have time for a matinee this weekend.
I saw it in the theatre on Tuesday. It's been a while since I watched something so entertaining in the moment, with enough to chew on afterwards to stick in my mind. The way it all fit together was really cool to me.
I'm pleasantly surprised that the Cineplex was screening it. After trying for ages to find any screening for Burning, I thought maybe I'd miss out on this too, so I bought tickets right away. The theatre was full, too, and it looks like it will be showing for another week.
Having the word 'parasite' in mind was interesting because as the story progressed, it was like the belief that class mobility was possible was the real parasitic force that broke people down. Having a plan is the problem, as the father says when they are in that flood shelter. The ceiling is there and they are just doomed to hit it eventually, no matter how cunning they are. Reality is the semi-basement, and fantasy is thinking they could ever buy that house with all that above-ground light. It's like the dad at the end is in this state of full acceptance - it was either just go to the basement of his own will or be put there by an external force.
The turn towards the gothic was amazing. Going from this moment of drunken fun to seeing the housekeeper on the security monitor looking so messed-up and wrong was perfect. I really love that shit - the secret mad wife in the attic setting fires and casting weird lantern shadows, people thinking the place is haunted etc... it's just so evocative - sinister and ridiculous at the same time. The poor family suddenly realizing that there is a strata below semi-basement and engaging in a tooth-and-nail struggle to keep from sinking into that level is something else. The sheer obliviousness of the rich family in their privilege was so appropriate, too. Why would they know anything? They don't need to. As long as nothing breaks the water line to ruin their view, it doesn't merit attention - they just have to endure a bad smell now and then.
The flood scenes were fantastic. The imagery of the family fleeing and then descending this warren of staircases to reach their home, only to find that it was rendered uninhabitable by the runoff and sewage from those who lived on higher ground. I loved that part with the daughter nonchalantly smoking a cigarette while that elevated toilet (I've seen some crazy bathrooms in Asia, but that was new to me lol) was just spewing sewage. It was also somehow fitting that, if you think of the poor family as being parasites, it's the moment when they try to dig their roots into the rich house a little (the camping trip and rainstorm) when they find that the way back to their not-quite-a-basement has been destroyed. The only options become the impossible (staying in the rich family's good graces while struggling to suppress the threat from below), or the unbearable (sinking to a level below semi-basement).
I'm probably reading too much into it but there is also something about the flood of sewage and the dude who habitually pisses at their window. I mean, when it's an individual neighborhood guy pissing into their window, they can't necessarily stop him but they can confront him, throw a bucket of water on him - there is this idea that they can do something about it. But when all the city's shit just runs down and destroys their home, they have no one to confront and are just completely impotent - it's just the way the system works.
There is also something that kind of struck me about the architect and how he is this kind of presence as the creator of the space they all inhabit. There always was a basement there, but he was really embarrassed to admit it. Like... society's design has this dirty little secret that no one wants to acknowledge, there's always got to be someone to shit on.
I might go see it again if I have time for a matinee this weekend.
Really enjoyed your thoughts on this, you pointed out some things I didn't notice or things I did notice (the many descending staircases leading back to their home) but forgot about in the ensuing chaos.
I was thinking back on the beginning of the movie when they're making the pizza boxes to sell and I was wondering if there was any significant meaning behind one of the family member's boxes being bad and causing them to get less money. Did we get an idea of whose they were or if it was foreshadowing to one of the members cause of the downfall?
That makes a lot of sense considering the pizza box lady said that 1/4 of the boxes were unusable.
I assumed it was the kid, since he's the one who usually fucks up (leaving his cell phone on vibrate in the sneak scene, dropping the stone when he plans to sneak up on the basement dude).
Really enjoyed your thoughts on this, you pointed out some things I didn't notice or things I did notice (the many descending staircases leading back to their home) but forgot about in the ensuing chaos.
Glad to share - my movie companion is pretty taciturn beyond "I liked it" so I guess I had it saved up. There are so many interesting details, and I think seeing it again knowing how things play out would highlight even more little things that fit together.
That makes a lot of sense considering the pizza box lady said that 1/4 of the boxes were unusable.
I assumed it was the kid, since he's the one who usually fucks up (leaving his cell phone on vibrate in the sneak scene, dropping the stone when he plans to sneak up on the basement dude).
Hey, that's cool, I didn't even consider the idea that it was one of them! The way I interpreted that part was that the dad's poverty-rooted urge to snag some free fumigation was their downfall, because they couldn't see what they were doing and it ultimately cost them.
Glad to share - my movie companion is pretty taciturn beyond "I liked it" so I guess I had it saved up. There are so many interesting details, and I think seeing it again knowing how things play out would highlight even more little things that fit together.
Hey, that's cool, I didn't even consider the idea that it was one of them! The way I interpreted that part was that the dad's poverty-rooted urge to snag some free fumigation was their downfall, because they couldn't see what they were doing and it ultimately cost them.
I assumed it was the father because while they were all taking their time trying to fold properly, he was focused on learning the fast method, and continued doing so even as they were all gagging on fumes. And when the pizza girl mentioned that 1/4 of the boxes were bad, Mrs Kim gave Mr. Kim some very accusatory side-eye.
I assumed it was the father because while they were all taking their time trying to fold properly, he was focused on learning the fast method, and continued doing so even as they were all gagging on fumes. And when the pizza girl mentioned that 1/4 of the boxes were bad, Mrs Kim gave Mr. Kim some very accusatory side-eye.
beat up by loan sharks that have been after her and her husband for years. They were basically in hiding because he had a cake shop that went under and had dangerous people who wanted to be paid back.
beat up by loan sharks that have been after her and her husband for years. They were basically in hiding because he had a cake shop that went under and had dangerous people who wanted to be paid back.
Was there an implied link between him and Mr. Kim? When they are eating together they say something about one of Kim's jobs he lost being a cake shop if I remember right? Then when the guy in the shelter mentions the camera seems to linger on Kim like he is realizing something. It never comes up though.