A2 C2SA Global Film: PL & Parasite

Question 1

What year is PL set in?

Answer 1

1944

Question 2

In which real place is PL set?

Answer 2

In the hills of Northern Spain

Question 3

Which war is taking place at time PL is set?

Answer 3

WW2

Question 4

Name the conflict which took place in Spain before the films begins, between 1936 and 1939

Answer 4

The Spanish Civil War - the Nationalists, led by General Franco, won

Question 5

Name the two sides in the Spanish Civil War

Answer 5

The Republicans (Popular Front, defenders of the Second Republic) versus the Nationalists

Question 6

Name the leader of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War

Answer 6

General Franco

Question 7

What is the name of the specific grouping led by Franco (Vidal is also a member of this group)

Answer 7

The Falangists

Question 8

Francoism is a specific ideology based on three other ideologies/traditions. Name them.

Answer 8

Fascism; Monarchism; Catholicism

Question 9

Vidal’s father was killed fighting in Morocco - why is that significant?

Answer 9

Morocco (a Spanish colony at the time) is where General Franco made his name by defeating republican forces. Vidal idolises both his father and ‘El Caudillo’, Franco.

Question 10

The Nationalists and Republicans had very different ideologies - what were they, briefly?

Answer 10

Nationalists: Right-wing (conservative) traditionalist ideology encompassing Fascism, monarchism and very traditional Spanish Catholicism (similar in many ways to Mussolini in Italy). Generally conservative in terms of importance of traditional family especially the role of women as wives and mothers with male/father at the head; anti-divorce, and women’s rights as workers (effectively banned by Franco) the role of the powerful Catholic Church within the State; influence of the monarchy and notion of absolute power & control of one strong militaristic (male) leader; anti-trade unions/workers’ organisations.
Republicans: Left-wing/liberal internationalist rather than nationalist; left/liberal ideological mish-mash reflecting the different political organisations which made up the ant-fascist Popular Front inc. communists, socialists. trade unions, anarchists and the International Brigades. Generally more progressive in terms of attitudes to workers’/women’s rights, including de-criminalisation of prostitution, women’s rights at work, divorce etc, and the existence of one women-only brigade during the SCW.

Question 11

Name the three key female characters in PL.

Answer 11

Ofelia, Carmen & Mercedes

Question 12

Name three key male characters in PL.

Answer 12

Captain Vidal, Dr.Ferreiro & the Faun (arguably the Pale Man)

Question 13

What’s the significance of the way in which Vidal greets Carmen & Ofelia?

Answer 13

Both: Vidal checks his pocket watch - he runs by the clock and is also obsessed with the past and the future. Carmen: Vidal greets her by placing his hand on her belly ( the vessel for his son!), then insists that she sit in a wheelchair, effectively ‘disabling’ her. Carmen is primarily valued as a mother/incubator.
Ofelia: grips her left hand in his black leather glove (right hand). A small but significant act: republicans greeted with their left hand, whilst nationalists used the right. Ofelia is probably completely unaware of this, but Vidal picks up on anything which (in his eyes) is a challenge to him or his beliefs.

Question 14

Del Toro: ‘ …fascism…is the absolute absence of ________________, the absolute lack of __________ and the most ____________ expression of power’

Answer 14

imagination; choice; masculine

NOTE: this lack of imagination is the key (literally!) to Vidal’s downfall due to his inability to imagine anyone, especially a peasant woman like Mercedes, plotting against him.

Question 15

Identify six important props in the Pale Man scene

Answer 15

The key (from the last mission), the knife (for the final sacrifice), the grapes (the temptation amd a reference to the food at Vidal’s dinner party) ; the pile of shoes (the warning: holocaust reference); the chalk (the portal between the worlds); the hourglass (yet another measure of time);

Question 16

Identify three examples of how time is referenced, how and why

Answer 16

1. Vidal’s pocket watch in the opening and closing scene: he runs everything by the clock and is also obsessed with the past (his father) and the future (his fate and legacy embodied by his son). Represents a rigid, ‘man-made’ measurement of time.
2. The hourglass in the Pale Man scene: the time set by the Faun for Ofelia’ second mission.
3. Phases of the moon: Ofelia is shown bearing a mark on her shoulder with the image of a crescent moon. When Ofelia’s sacrifices herself to save her brother, the moon is full, symbolizing the completion of Ofelia’s journey as well as being a more natural, feminine measurement which also reflects the menstrual cycle.

Question 17

Name the director of Parasite

Answer 17

Bong Joon Ho

Question 18

Name three other films by the director of Parasite

Answer 18

The Host; Mother; Snowpiercer; Memories of Murder; Okja

Question 19

Identify two important international awards won by Parasite in 2019

Answer 19

Cannes Film Festival: Palme D’Or; Academy Award (Oscar): best Picture; Best Director; Best Original Screenplay; Best International Feature

Question 20

Name the two families in Parasite

Answer 20

The Kim family and the Park family.

Question 21

Name Mr & Mrs Kim’s two children

Answer 21

Ki-woo (son) and Ki-jung/’Jessica’ (daughter

Question 22

Name Mr & Mrs Park’s two children

Answer 22

Da-hye (daughter) and Da-song (son)

Question 23

Name the Park family’s original housekeeper

Answer 23

Moon-guang. Her husband, who lives in the basement is called Geun-sae

Question 24

How do the Kim family convince Mrs Park that Moon-guang has tuberculosis?

Answer 24

They use her allergy to peaches to induce a cough.

Question 25

Mr Park comments that Moon-guang is an excellent housekeeper, apart form one thing. What is it?

Answer 25

She eats too much (she is actually taking food to give to her husband in the basement!)

Question 26

Ki-woo poses as an English language tutor. At one point he comments on a painting that Da-son has done - which animal does he think it is?

Answer 26

A monkey - it turns out that it is a self-portrait.

Question 27

Where do the Kim family hide when the Parks come back early from their camping trip?

Answer 27

Under the coffee table.

Question 28

Name two influences on Bong’s screenplay for Parasite

Answer 28

The Housemaid, a Korean film from the 1960s and a real-life murder case from 1930s France in which two live-in maids murdered their employers.

Question 29

Where was Parasite shot?

Answer 29

In the capital of South Korea, Seoul and the city of Jeonju. The houses were specially constructed sets.

Question 30

In what way could the title of the film be seen as a social commentary?

Answer 30

The idea of class inequality, with one group in society living off another. According to Bong:
“Because the story is about the poor family infiltrating and creeping into the rich house, it seems very obvious that Parasite refers to the poor family…but if you look at it the other way, you can say that a rich family, they’re also parasites in terms of labour. They can’t even wash dishes, they can’t drive themselves, so they leech off the poor family’s labor. So both are parasites.”

Question 31

Bong has referred to parasite as a ‘stairway movie’ - what does this mean?

Answer 31

Staircases are used as a motif to represent the social positions of the two families in their homes , as well as the basement bunker. The Kims’ cramped semi-basement apartment is typical for poorer Seoul residents due to its lower rent, despite having issues such as mould and increased risk of disease. The Park’s huge modern house is up the hill and above the street and flooded with light, reflecting their higher social position. The scene where the Kims descend through the city to their home in the rain is a reminder of the social, economic and physical gap between the families.

Question 32

Which country colonised Korea from 1910-1945?

Answer 32

Japan.

Question 33

What is ‘orientalism’?

Answer 33

According to Edward Said (1978) ‘Orientalism’ is a way in which westerners conceive of the geographical East (ie ‘Orient’ from the Middle East, India, China etc.) as exotic, dangerous, fascinating. By placing it in binary opposition to the West (the ‘Occident’), the East becomes ‘other’, which is defined in terms of what it is not. In terms of film appreciation and analysis, this perspective recognises the Korean aspect of the appeal of Parasite to a western audience. It also helps to explain some of the criticisms of the film from a Korean perspective, especially the upper middle class Park’s materialism and obsession with American culture.