I'm pretty sure that he scammed the cake shop much like he's scamming the rich family.
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Parasite (a film by Bong Joon-ho, 2019) |OT| Don't read anything about it, go watch it blind, thank us later
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Saw this the other day and loved it. Such an energetic, dramatic movie with an intense important message. Super good.
Ok, that would make a lot of sense and actually adds a lot.
Really want to like this movie more but the point I mentioned early in the thread just brings down my enjoyment so much, am I perhaps not looking at this aspect in the right way? Or is there some themes/symbolism that makes this part resonate and not be arbitrary shock value? Or even worse, only exist to provide manpain for the others?
Like after that point it:
Really reveals itself as the story of the son and his dad to me, even the mother feels inconsequential from then on.
I took it as the kids, being the only ones really hurt, are kind of the ones effected most by this life that the parents most likely got them in. There's all the talk of her being the best of the family and how she'd be the best con artist eventually. While also showing how they actually had skill and ability in actual trades but weren't going to schooling for them.
With that interpretation I would of liked the ending to be the fever dream of the father and the reveal that the son died too.
The problem with that is that then makes that take or meaning more primary than it is likely meant to be.
Cake shop:
I don't think it was that. I was reading somewhere (possibly in this thread) that the castella cake shop thing was a big craze where lots of older people looking for a retirement path put all their savings in and went bankrupt. So I think it was just setting a backgeound
Edit: Found the link, was on reddit.
Reddit - Dive into anything
www.reddit.com
One of the things that I noticed while listening to some podcasts about the movie was the mentioning of the Taiwanese sponge cake. I'm not sure if the English subtitle translated it differently, but Taiwanese sponge cake comment directly refers to a specific Korean social phenomena. In the movie, the father of the Kims is said to have tried and failed in the Taiwanese sponge cake (Taiwanese "castella") business. The guy who lived in the basement of the Parks also mentions he had failed in the same business, resulting in a lot of debt.
Taiwanese Castella is more of a huge Chiffon cake-ish bread that supposedly is a very common street food in Taiwan. Korean tourist just started calling those "Taiwanese castellas" and spread words that it was the go-to street food in Taiwan. Having tasted it, it is less sweet than the Japanese "castellas" but has more egg-taste, which some people like. Naturally, it found its way into Korea around 2016.
Korea has had a social issue with people (usually people retiring from office jobs in their 50s) spending all of their retirement funds in small food businesses (especially fried chicken shops), or any other food business that's popular at that specific time. Obviously, MOST of those people end up losing money and the business folding. A LOT of Taiwanese castella shops started popping up around 2016 and it was the craze of the country for a very short while. People would line up around the building so that they could buy one. And then the AI (Avian Influenza) hit Korea. Egg prices skyrocketed and a lot of Taiwanese castella shops folded. A TV report about how low quality cooking oil was used in making those Castellas didn't help either.
So with that as the background, the fact that two poor husband/father of a poor family making poor money/business decision in starting a food business because it's the "hip" thing to do at the time and failing miserably... is something that's pretty close to a lot of Korean's heart.
Taiwanese Castella is more of a huge Chiffon cake-ish bread that supposedly is a very common street food in Taiwan. Korean tourist just started calling those "Taiwanese castellas" and spread words that it was the go-to street food in Taiwan. Having tasted it, it is less sweet than the Japanese "castellas" but has more egg-taste, which some people like. Naturally, it found its way into Korea around 2016.
Korea has had a social issue with people (usually people retiring from office jobs in their 50s) spending all of their retirement funds in small food businesses (especially fried chicken shops), or any other food business that's popular at that specific time. Obviously, MOST of those people end up losing money and the business folding. A LOT of Taiwanese castella shops started popping up around 2016 and it was the craze of the country for a very short while. People would line up around the building so that they could buy one. And then the AI (Avian Influenza) hit Korea. Egg prices skyrocketed and a lot of Taiwanese castella shops folded. A TV report about how low quality cooking oil was used in making those Castellas didn't help either.
So with that as the background, the fact that two poor husband/father of a poor family making poor money/business decision in starting a food business because it's the "hip" thing to do at the time and failing miserably... is something that's pretty close to a lot of Korean's heart.
Cake shop:
I don't think it was that. I was reading somewhere (possibly in this thread) that the castella cake shop thing was a big craze where lots of older people looking for a retirement path put all their savings in and went bankrupt. So I think it was just setting a backgeound
Edit: Found the link, was on reddit.
Reddit - Dive into anything
One of the things that I noticed while listening to some podcasts about the movie was the mentioning of the Taiwanese sponge cake. I'm not sure if the English subtitle translated it differently, but Taiwanese sponge cake comment directly refers to a specific Korean social phenomena. In the movie, the father of the Kims is said to have tried and failed in the Taiwanese sponge cake (Taiwanese "castella") business. The guy who lived in the basement of the Parks also mentions he had failed in the same business, resulting in a lot of debt.
Taiwanese Castella is more of a huge Chiffon cake-ish bread that supposedly is a very common street food in Taiwan. Korean tourist just started calling those "Taiwanese castellas" and spread words that it was the go-to street food in Taiwan. Having tasted it, it is less sweet than the Japanese "castellas" but has more egg-taste, which some people like. Naturally, it found its way into Korea around 2016.
Korea has had a social issue with people (usually people retiring from office jobs in their 50s) spending all of their retirement funds in small food businesses (especially fried chicken shops), or any other food business that's popular at that specific time. Obviously, MOST of those people end up losing money and the business folding. A LOT of Taiwanese castella shops started popping up around 2016 and it was the craze of the country for a very short while. People would line up around the building so that they could buy one. And then the AI (Avian Influenza) hit Korea. Egg prices skyrocketed and a lot of Taiwanese castella shops folded. A TV report about how low quality cooking oil was used in making those Castellas didn't help either.
So with that as the background, the fact that two poor husband/father of a poor family making poor money/business decision in starting a food business because it's the "hip" thing to do at the time and failing miserably... is something that's pretty close to a lot of Korean's heart.
Ok, that fits way more with the overall themes. Makes sense.
Cake shop:
I don't think it was that. I was reading somewhere (possibly in this thread) that the castella cake shop thing was a big craze where lots of older people looking for a retirement path put all their savings in and went bankrupt. So I think it was just setting a backgeound
Edit: Found the link, was on reddit.
Reddit - Dive into anything
One of the things that I noticed while listening to some podcasts about the movie was the mentioning of the Taiwanese sponge cake. I'm not sure if the English subtitle translated it differently, but Taiwanese sponge cake comment directly refers to a specific Korean social phenomena. In the movie, the father of the Kims is said to have tried and failed in the Taiwanese sponge cake (Taiwanese "castella") business. The guy who lived in the basement of the Parks also mentions he had failed in the same business, resulting in a lot of debt.
Taiwanese Castella is more of a huge Chiffon cake-ish bread that supposedly is a very common street food in Taiwan. Korean tourist just started calling those "Taiwanese castellas" and spread words that it was the go-to street food in Taiwan. Having tasted it, it is less sweet than the Japanese "castellas" but has more egg-taste, which some people like. Naturally, it found its way into Korea around 2016.
Korea has had a social issue with people (usually people retiring from office jobs in their 50s) spending all of their retirement funds in small food businesses (especially fried chicken shops), or any other food business that's popular at that specific time. Obviously, MOST of those people end up losing money and the business folding. A LOT of Taiwanese castella shops started popping up around 2016 and it was the craze of the country for a very short while. People would line up around the building so that they could buy one. And then the AI (Avian Influenza) hit Korea. Egg prices skyrocketed and a lot of Taiwanese castella shops folded. A TV report about how low quality cooking oil was used in making those Castellas didn't help either.
So with that as the background, the fact that two poor husband/father of a poor family making poor money/business decision in starting a food business because it's the "hip" thing to do at the time and failing miserably... is something that's pretty close to a lot of Korean's heart.
Oh wow, this ties in with the theme very well. I hope this movie gets a really good English commentary track that goes into details about things like this.
This reminds me how in 'Tale of Two Sisters' there was a quick shot of a tent in the middle of the road as characters in the movie were driving to the house. I spent months trying to think up some meaning behind that tent only to find out that it'sa common thing in that area.
Not entirely. He was slowly building up resentment towards them.
It was clear that the dad was going to do something once they began to talk about his smell. But I wasn't expecting for the dude in the basement to escape and just go nuts at the party lmfao. The way they had the blood across his face was genius. Dude looked scary af.
I remember in the Joker thread, someone was praising it as some "scathing indictment of the rich." Whoever said that needs to fucking watch this.
It was fucking fantastic. The ending was fucking perfect. You could not put a more poetically appropriate button on this.
It was fucking fantastic. The ending was fucking perfect. You could not put a more poetically appropriate button on this.
This brain-damaged kid makes a plan that the solution to his problem, the key that will unlock his father's cell and allow him to climb the stairs, is *drumroll* CAPITALISM!
Did anyone see subtitles of a song that plays at the end? I saw an interview in which the actor who played the son mentions he sang a song at the end of the movie with lyrics by Bong Joon Ho. I didn't stick around through the credits but it sounds interesting.
Apparently
Apparently
There are lyrics about how impossible it would be to ever afford that house.
So now I'm curious about the lyrics of that song.
So now I'm curious about the lyrics of that song.
This was apparently a very rapid boom-bust cycle that occurred in South Korea that the audience there would be familiar with. Like how froyo shops were everywhere in the US for a little while and then most of them vanished.
Finally came to my city, and just got out a few hours ago. It is a masterpiece. I went in with very, very little information, and was pleasantly surprised, and delighted by the what the film was actually about. The performances, the cinematography, the themes, it's all just masterfully crafted. And it just might have overtaken The Lighthouse and Midsommar as my number 1 this year.
My mom is primarly spanish speaking but can watch english movies and follow the plot fairly well. My brother took her to see this and I was worried she wouldn't be able to understand anything with korean talk and english subs. She said it was one of her favorite movies of all time. After thinking on it more, it does make sense. The action of the characters are self explanitory to what is happening in the story.
Do any other flickering lights in the film actually mean anything in morse code?
Edit: Shit, sorry to anyone who saw the open spoilers
There's a segment where the man in the basement is pounding out a message with his head and it's intercut with the flooding of the half-basement. The light in the half-basement is also flickering and I have a real hunch that it translates to something.
Edit: Shit, sorry to anyone who saw the open spoilers
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I believe it cuts to the young son translating the Morse code to 'HALP ME' in his notebook. Once again, he is the only person in the Park family picking up that something unusual is happening.
Yes that's what the man in the basement was typing but in suspecting that there might be messages in flickering lights elsewhere in the movie, particularly when the half basement of flooding.
The dad and mom were the only ones actually doing their jobs. The son was just hooking up with his student and the daughter was bullshitting absolutely everything. They couldn't get these jobs legitimately because they don't actually have credentials which is why they wormed their way in via a string of recommendations.
Finally had some time to see this, really fucking happy about that. A rock solid 8.5/10 for me, only losing some points there because the
but it's an insanely funny, sharp and pointed thriller about class disparity that never bores or lets up for a moment.
Another Bong masterwork, probably going to find itself somewhere in my top 10 of the year.
escape sequence went on a little too long and it felt like there were three different endings
Another Bong masterwork, probably going to find itself somewhere in my top 10 of the year.
Watched the movie - I feel like all the "don't get spoiled" talk overhyped the story to a certain extent for me. I still enjoyed it, but there was no incomprehensible switch or twist in the way the story developed. It all made sense in the way it moved from a to b and in the way it unfolded. But at no point was the story in itself at a level that would (in itself) be worthy of the hype. It was really good and competently told, but the real deal is all the social themes and an unbelievably well done cinematography elevating the material!
I'm a person that likes to be sold on a story at face value first and then dive into underlying themes and concepts. Here the social critique managed to completely floor me though. The way almost every shot was able to tell you something about how the rich and the poor interact and how the "Parasite" theme is woven into all of this.
My favorite shot might be:
It was also really well done how
The levels in which you can analyse some shots in this movie is insane in a Kubrick kind of way. I really appreciate it for what it did here, even if the story didn't wow me away at face level.
I'm a person that likes to be sold on a story at face value first and then dive into underlying themes and concepts. Here the social critique managed to completely floor me though. The way almost every shot was able to tell you something about how the rich and the poor interact and how the "Parasite" theme is woven into all of this.
My favorite shot might be:
When the flood happened and they were back in their old flat, the boy manages to "save" the stone and is standing, water/shit up to his waist in the right side of the frame, while his father is looking for him in the left one. The light is flickering and we see him in light and dark for a few seconds. The stone as the heavy prospect for aspiring richness and a better life, himself being drowned because he's poor and the light switching showing how he is being torn apart between wanting to do whatever necessary for him and his family to stay in the middle class and keep climbing (murder the old housekeeper and husband) and resolving the situation in a good way (whatever that might be).
It was also really well done how
The rich father was completely unresponsive towards the poor girl being stabbed and bleeding to death and only caring for his son that had nothing serious. And Mr. Kim obying and throwing him the car key instead of trying to safe his own.
The levels in which you can analyse some shots in this movie is insane in a Kubrick kind of way. I really appreciate it for what it did here, even if the story didn't wow me away at face level.
Saw this today, went in completely blind to the point of hilarity actually, all I knew was the title and high RT scores and I thought this was a straight up horror movie based on the title. I kept expecting creepy ass shit to come out of the darkness, only about halfway thru the movie I finally realized "oh, this is a dark comedy!"
Really enjoyed it, probably not as high as most other people but still sticks with me. This and Jojo Rabbit have been the highlights of the last few months in movies. I still haven't watched Okja, gotta correct that this weekend. Maybe rewatch Snowpiercer while I'm at it. Its too bad they aren't putting out the Snowpiercer TV show now, woulda been perfect synergy.
Really enjoyed it, probably not as high as most other people but still sticks with me. This and Jojo Rabbit have been the highlights of the last few months in movies. I still haven't watched Okja, gotta correct that this weekend. Maybe rewatch Snowpiercer while I'm at it. Its too bad they aren't putting out the Snowpiercer TV show now, woulda been perfect synergy.
That was a great movie. Bong Joon-ho has yet to disappoint me. Parasite was a very clever film. I couldn't get enough of it.
My local cinema has a showing planned in April. Got it penciled into my calender. Looking forward to it.
This was so so good.
I thought Snowpiercer was average and never got thehype
Is Okja good?
god this movie is gonna stick with me.
Anyone else have that exact pairing growing up? Mom, dad, daughter, son?
I did, so I just put myself into their shoes
My family wasn't like that at all, my parents never were schemers, but we were broke the early years
Poverty sucks yoo
I thought Snowpiercer was average and never got thehype
Is Okja good?
god this movie is gonna stick with me.
Anyone else have that exact pairing growing up? Mom, dad, daughter, son?
I did, so I just put myself into their shoes
My family wasn't like that at all, my parents never were schemers, but we were broke the early years
Poverty sucks yoo
Oh my fuck did I enjoy this movie. Thanks for the spot on recommendation, ERA.
Easily one of my favorite movies I've seen in a long time
Easily one of my favorite movies I've seen in a long time
I got into an embarrassingly long debate with a colleague about this the other day... not because he didn't care for the film, but because I honestly couldn't understand any of the reasons he tried to offer. And then when I'd try to repeat a point he'd make to make sure I'd understand it, he'd then tweak the point further. Among one of his many issues with the film is
Genuinely couldn't understand the argument that the family was supposed to somehow anticipate and coolly react to such a reveal when none of the audience members could even anticipate it.
This is easily my favorite film of the year so far, and I easily enjoy it more than Okja or Snowpiercer, which are both films that I enjoyed, too. It's been interesting to see this, Burning, and Shoplifters all come out within a couple of years and take different approaches to some of the shared themes on display.
the family not having a plan to address the sudden reveal of the man living in the basement or the former nanny returning suddenly.
This is easily my favorite film of the year so far, and I easily enjoy it more than Okja or Snowpiercer, which are both films that I enjoyed, too. It's been interesting to see this, Burning, and Shoplifters all come out within a couple of years and take different approaches to some of the shared themes on display.
Boyfriend took me yesterday to see it at this hip old school cinema. Prior to this, he did made me promise to steer clear of trailers, discussions and reviews, basically anything related to it, so for the first time ever I walked in a cinema absolutely clueless about the movie I was gonna watch, just as OP recommends.
Needless to say I'm happy I listened to him. The movie was absolutely brilliant in every aspect. It managed to shook me as to how things eventually developed, I think I was squeezing his arm like crazy during the garden party. This has to be the movie of the year for us, I don't think anything can come close at topping it.
LE: thediamondage I also thought the same based on the title
Needless to say I'm happy I listened to him. The movie was absolutely brilliant in every aspect. It managed to shook me as to how things eventually developed, I think I was squeezing his arm like crazy during the garden party. This has to be the movie of the year for us, I don't think anything can come close at topping it.
LE: thediamondage I also thought the same based on the title
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I expected this to go way more left than it did but outside of that expectation it was a very enjoyable ride. The post incident stuff muddied up the conclusion I felt like. Especially the dad's letter. I expected it to end as soon as the light started to flicker once again.
watched the trailer. read nothing else. just got out... Fuuuuck. So good. I'll have a lot more to say tomorrow but the themes in this movie while not what I would call "deep" are so layered upon layered
It really does. Especially post 2000. is there a reason why? Did Korea just get super into movies? I think it might be they use classical "western" film language where a place like Bollywood or Chinese cinema doesn't and feels more "tvish"