parasite notes

Aptly titled
* poor people getting fired and framed not for excess but to simply survive. a woman who the Park family believe to suffer from tuberculosis is removed from her position and subsequently beat by her loan sharks as the Park family doesn't worry about her fate
* the homekeeper works for generations, the inception of the house basically, but gets worked out within a whims without anybody caring afterwards. loyalty is simply unrewarding
* little opportunity leads to a domino effect: the Kims have no money, leading to internet connection being cut off due to unpaid bills, leading to less job opportunities
* water is controlled for rich people whereas it is chaotic for the poor ones. it's not a motif Bong Joon-ho worked into actively but I still find it interesting to draw parallels to how water flows upwards, contrary to the supposed "trickle down economics!" myth that gets spouted when defending late stage capitalism
* its double-meaning title is on the nose, as is the rest of the film, which aren't a bad things for how politically steadfast and relentless parasite is. poor people have to live off the scraps and excess that rich people don't even blink or scoff at, whereas rich people have to live off the skilled labor that poor people provide. there's obvious inequality at play here and a call for more socialist system

what's wonderful about this film is not its criticism of either group of people: the Parks seriously don't do anything wrong here, other than perpetrating the status quo that discourages communication and social equality between classes. Parasite lashes out towards the inherent evils that late-stage capitalism carries itself with, without being vengeful towards specifics. Therein, Parasite reaches greater meaning as a spectacularly well-written modern criticism that rings true globally.

Parasite's ending legitimately made me feel ill for how harrowing it is. It's defeatism is wholly justified and unfortunately realistic. It unapologetically presents the only opportunity for Ki-taek's freedom from his self-made punishment for Ki-woo to bring up an insurmountable sum of money to buy the house. We thought the beginning of the film was rock bottom for the family, but after parasitically infiltrating the Parks, they lost their familial bonds.

It's a phenomenal double-sided story about money being the root of all evil. The greed that follows the Kim family leads to its inevitable downfall, meaning that even when granted a rare opportunity, that class divides are too strong and the system too lopsided to make anything out of it. The proletariat simply does not fit.

One of the most soul-crushing scenes is the banquet one, with everybody getting drunk and enjoying the view. It's a simple celebration of their achievements thus far, finally being able to indulge. While people might complain about plot contrivances here, I strongly disagree. This scene is key to deliver an extra oomph to its final gut punch. Poor people that can ignore worries about money for once and just be happy. The system doesn't allow us to.

This film soured my whole night