An immaculately constructed critique on the class divide of the modern society and its inevitable consequences With Parasite, Bong Joon Ho once again proves that he is a master of social commentary in cinema. Eventhough he has tackled several socially relevant themes in his previous movies, particularly in Snowpiercer, it hasn't been as immaculate as his work on Parasite. With a masterfully written screenplay and flawless direction, Bong has created a cleverly constructed critique on the class divisions of our society.
The true genius of the film lies in its subtlety. Instead of presenting the themes in an on the nose manner, the film utilizes several symbols and metaphors using the characters, as well as the impeccable production design and blocking, both of which was aided by an exceptional screenplay and one of the best usages of storyboarding in cinema. The film conveys its themes entirely through these aspects with little to no reliance on exposition. The theme of wealth inequality is presented through the lives of two families who are at the two extreme ends of the financial spectrum and the parasitic relationship that occurs between them. One of the most notable achievements of the production design is the portrayal of the localities of the two families. The Kim family lives in a congested, cluttered, stink bug infested, frequently flooded semi-basement house in the lower regions of the city, relying on cheap food, surrounded by crammed up houses of similar conditions. On the other hand, the wealthy Park family lives in a modernistic, spacious, well-organized house with expensive possessions, in a beautiful neighborhood, in the upper regions of the city. The best visual representation of this can be seen in the sequence where Ki-woo walks up to the Park family house. A cleverly placed edit, suddenly transitions the gloomy, congested alleyway of the slum, to the sunlit, spacious driveway of the Park house. Another example of the brilliance of the production design is the subtle portrayal of the increasing wealth of the Kims. The cheap possessions seen in the house of the Kim family in the earlier scenes are gradually replaced by more expensive objects in the subsequent scenes.
The movie showcases how the existing class divide in our society, forces a parasitic relationship between the upper and the lower class. This is best expressed through the infiltration of the Park house by the Kim family, followed by them existing almost as parasites on the Park family. This parasitic existence makes them temporarily rise above their hardships. This is evident from the sequence where they finally manage to chase away the drunkard who constantly urinates near their doorstep, symbolizing them standing up against the pathetic living conditions that have been plaguing them for years. However, the wealthy also live as parasites on the poor, as seen by how the Parks utilizes the Kims for their needs.
Another aspect the movie addresses is the competition which occurs among the members of the lower class, which is a direct result of parasitic relationship between the rich and the poor. This is presented by the conflict that occurs between the Kims and the housekeeper and her husband. Both families who live as parasites on the Parks eventually discover each other, and engage in a bitter conflict with one another, to claim their place as the "parasite". This internal competition within the lower class, results in their own downfall, as the ensuing conflict results in them ending up in a much worse situation than before. An attempt to change this, will ultimately result in the downfall of the society as a whole, since the modern society is built on the existence of class divisions. This is symbolized by the climatic birthday party sequence where all the three focal families suffer fatal casualties. This results in the Kim family finding themselves in a much worse spot than they already were at the beginning of the film, which is the eventual outcome of the internal conflict for power which occurs among the lower class.
The film also showcases how both the classes are affected differently by the same events. This is most evident by how differently both the families are affected by heavy rain. The Kims' lives are nearly destroyed by the flood, while the Parks view the rain as a mild inconvenience as their camping trip had to be canceled. While Ki-Tiek grieves the loss imposed on him by the rain, Mrs Park gleefully talks about how the rain had reduced the pollution and freshened the air.
The film also deals with the destructive nature of false hope, symbolized by the Scholar's rock which Ki-woo receives from his friend. The rock, which promises wealth, instills a false hope in Ki-woo and his family. This prompts them to go on this risky affair which ultimately results in their own downfall. This leads to one of the most effective instances of symbolism in the film, as the rock is used as weapon against Ki-woo, symbolizing how his hope had betrayed him.
By a blend of exceptional works done in the field of writing, directing, acting cinematography, editing and production design, Bong Joon Ho has constructed one of the best critiques of the modern day class divisions and wealth inequalities of the modern society. Despite detesting class divisions, Bong also acknowledges that such a division ultimately acts the backbone of the society. Once the distinction between these classes become inconspicuous, the foundation of the society will be disrupted, resulting in its destruction, a theme presented quite explicitly in his previous film, Snowpiercer.
Through the eyes of the Kim family, Bong Joon Ho showcases one of the sad truths about our society. Due to the existing class divide, the poor in search of a better life, are forced to live as parasites on the rich, which in-turn causes an internal competitive conflict among the poor, resulting in their own doom, bringing them back to the same condition as before or to a much worse spot. These series of events are inevitable because our society is built on this nature and any attempt to change this nature will have catastrophic results. The film doesn't criticize the families for their actions. Instead, it criticizes the nature of the society which forced them to commit these actions.