With the Park family away for the weekend, the Kim’s take full advantage of the Park’s home and food for an overnight “camping” trip of their own. The plan now is for Ki-woo to eventually marry Da-hye and permanently become part of the Park fortune. But their plans go awry with a single knock at the door.
I love grifter stories of deceit and intrigue, especially when you have that contrast between the lovable villains and their unlikable victims. In Joon-ho’s commentary on class, we get to cheer on the “heroes” as they take advantage of and exploit this “loving” family with dark skeletons of their own.
“Each character is their own, and their distinct personalities play specific roles in their rise and fall…”
There’s not much that I can say about the second half of the film as it takes a dark and unexpected turn; other than to say the Kim’s may not be the only parasites. The movie is fantastic at this point and then kicks up the thrills a few notches. Overall, Joon-ho Bong’s story is inventive and original from start to finish.
Where Parasites shines the most is in the development and character arc of each member of the Kim family. There’s no lazy writing here. The Kim family is comprised of four distinct characters from the prideful dad, the pragmatic mother, the focused son, and the cunning daughter. Each character is their own, and their distinct personalities play specific roles in the rise and fall of the Kim clan.
Parasites is a brilliant film and for a thriller, it’s absolutely unpredictable (except in one big way). I absolutely love this film and the story it tells. There’s a lot of reading to do, but what we have is a smart thriller, which you don’t see that often. Don’t expect a twist ending, but there is a good one.
"…their plans go awry with a single knock at the door."
