Parasite: The Dance Between The Guile And The Gullible
Have you ever walked into a movie theatre with zero expectations and walked out doing your own version of a standing ovation? Because, I did just this after watching the movie Parasite. We’ve all come across the hype of the movie on social media, and being the skeptical millennial that I am, I decided to go see what it was all about. And it totally lives up to the hype and then some more.
Broad comedy, sharp satire, angry critique, and heart-tugging poignancy are packed into 132 minutes. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is full of metaphors. It takes a while for the movie to sink in, but even after leaving the theatre, I couldn’t stop thinking about how brilliant it is.
Spoiler Alert Ahead!
The entire movie revolves around two families: The Kims and The Parks. Where the Kims’ are struggling to make ends meet and the Parks’ are living a luxurious life. The innocence of both families at the beginning of the movie is what caught my attention. Especially Ki-taek (the father) who is so naive and grateful for every little thing he has, along with his ability to see the good in people. He’s not malicious, he’s not clever and maybe that was the cause of his poverty. He was “too good” for the society we live in.
It is only when the Kims had a strike of fortune that the true ‘parasitic’ nature of the movie unfurls. The Kims were given a gateway into the Parks’ family through this lucrative opportunity of tutoring a member of the Parks’ household.
As the movie progresses, the innocence fades and is replaced with guile moves. If I go into details, I’m worried it will be construed as spoilers. And I wouldn’t want you guys to miss out on this movie. Because even as I’m writing it, I’m discovering the hidden meaning of certain scenes.
It truly is the most thought-provoking movie. You will surely be faced with more questions as you step out of the theatre - Are you ever going to trade your innocence for survival? Do we need to have a plan? Or who are the real parasites? The poor who attach themselves to the rich or the rich who suck the marrow of the poor? Or is the system itself the parasite, for demarcating the rich and poor?
The movie is full of metaphors. For example, there’s a scene where you see the family members searching for a wi-fi signal around the house. Raising their phones to the ceiling, they walk around and finally, they find it on the commode which is almost touching the ceiling. According to me, this was them desperately trying to attach themselves to something high off the ground.
I’ve always been a fan of movies. I definitely had exposure to content as intriguing as this, but after watching this film, I’m definitely going to consume more international content for sure.
