Stevie Stigall, Jonnie Mills, Sylvia Freire | Staff Writers
July 18, 2023
On July 12, scholars claimed their seats and got comfy before watching the Oscar-winning film– Parasite. The moviegoers sat with anticipation for a movie of suspense, comedy and thrill, with a commentary on class in a capitalistic society. It was the second foreign film that was premiered at the Classic Film Series and regardless of the language barrier, the storytelling had the audience hooked.
The film Parasite follows a lower class family, the Kim clan, that slithers their way through deception and fraud as staff for a rich family, the Park family. It showcases the morally questionable actions that seem necessary for the Kims to have a decent life. The symbiotic relationship between the Kim clan and Park family begins as mutualism. The Parks benefit from the Kims’ services and the Kims get paid a pretty penny. It seemingly works out and no one gets hurt, except for the people who lost their job due to the efforts of the Kims. However, the sunshine goes away and both the Kims and Parks end up harmed, being parasites for each other.
Our favorite scene goes to the finding of the husband of Gook Mong-gwang in the basement of the home. It adds a layer of fright, but intrigue as the audience learns more about the living environment dealt with. Specifically dealing with morse code, light symbolism, class system evaluations, and even the build up to the ending scene. Noting how the basement centralizes the story it impacts not only the family, but the viewer. Everything draws you into attempting to understand the lengths many go to find stability in economic inequality.
Our Horseshoe Award goes Ki-Jung who is the youngest child in the Kim Clan. She becomes the art teacher to the six year old of the Park family and helps her father and mother become employed, serving the Park family after their previous employees coincidentally get fired. She has a nonchalant and hustling personality that makes us respect her character and her efforts to get her family well-paying jobs.
Quotes from the film entice the audience regardless of language barriers. One specifically that stood out was “You know what kind of plan never fails? No fail at all. You know why? If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Mr. Park mentions this as the family goes through inequalities many face due to generational poverty. The conflicts build up towards this moment almost as if Mr. Park gives up, in reality he recognizes the harsh truth of invisible barriers made by economic marginalization.
We give Parasite 4.5/5 shoes up.
