Opening Scene, Parasite

Question 1

“[The Kims] still want to believe that they’re over ground, but carry this fear that they could fall completely below. It’s that ___________ that reflects their economic status”

Answer 1

Limbo state

Question 2

Describing aesthetic of the apartment

Answer 2

Compact, dirty, low, dingy, grimy, claustrophobic, dim, overwhelming

Question 3

How is the apartment decorated?

Answer 3

Cluttered. Each shot has a pile of boxes or clothes.

Question 4

The rooms are…

Answer 4

Multifunctional

Question 5

What props are used to signify the family’s struggle and create the aesthetic of poverty?

Answer 5

Infiltrating stink bugs, Ki-Taek eats mouldy bread, the old silver medal symbolises the lack of recent successes and how the Kim family are always below.

Question 6

The motif of the viewing stone symbolises…

Answer 6

Ki Woo’s ambition to become like Min (its a remnant of his character).

Question 7

The viewing stone is described as…

Answer 7

“metaphorical”, externalises Ki Woo’s inner desires. However Min’s family has multiple so it means little to them because they have everything they want.

Question 8

Sock/fan chandelier

Answer 8

Bong Joon-Ho’s dark humour. Shows poverty is the focus and the stark “polarisation” between the rich and poor.

Question 9

How is Min treated by the family?

Answer 9

Min is praised when he scares off the drunk man. “Impressive”, “college students have a real vigour”. Highlights how important university education is. Could be parasitical?

Question 10

How does Ki Woo show he is embarrassed of his living condition?

Answer 10

He asks Min why he came inside rather than meeting outside, looks down and avoids eye contact when he says Ki-Jung can’t afford lessons.

Question 11

What does Ki Woo do when Min asks for his help?

Answer 11

He laughs

Question 12

The close positioning of the Kim family shows the…

Answer 12

Close and intimate relationship between them. teamwork1!!!

Question 13

How do the Kim family intimidate the pizza shop worker?

Answer 13

They surround her, taking up most of the shot

Question 14

What does the intimidation of the pizza shop worker show?

Answer 14

The lack of solidarity in the lower class. A dog-eat-dog society.

Question 15

How do the Kim family present themselves as parasites?

Answer 15

Using free wifi, getting free extermination, getting fumigated

Question 16

Ki-Taek keeps working despite the fumigation. This shows…

Answer 16

His unwavering desire to climb the social ladder.

Question 17

Coughing and uncomfortable performance present…

Answer 17

Kim family as victims

Question 18

Ki-Woo shows his suitability for an alternative school by…

Answer 18

Having good social skills (talking his way into an interview)

Question 19

The opening ____ shot symbolises the Kim’s lower social status

Answer 19

Crane shot

Question 20

During the drink scene, Min is framed from a ___ angle with the ______ trajectory of the hill in the background

Answer 20

Low angle, upward trajectory. Symbolises how he is on the right path and his upper class status.

Question 21

How are the Kim family frequently shot?

Answer 21

High angle shots to make the audience literally look down at their low social status. They are vulnerable, small and we can sympathise with them.

Question 22

The use of a wide lens and frequent two shots of the Kim family…

Answer 22

unify them as a single organism.

Question 23

“I tried to reflect the gap between the rich and the poor in the amount of ________…” (Hong Kyung-pyo, DoP, 2019)

Answer 23

sunshine

Question 24

The apartment has a slightly _____ hue

Answer 24

green

Question 25

What sort of lighting is used in the Kim apartment?

Answer 25

Cheap, artificial fluorescent lighting in the form of harsh strip lights.

Question 26

How does Bong Joon-Ho limit his use of?

Answer 26

He limits his use of cuts and favours camera movements to create a rhythmical feeling.

Question 27

What happens after Mrs Kim asks her husband to do something and stop pretending the sleep?

Answer 27

A cutaway to her silver medal. She is the driving force of the family.

Question 28

A _________ is used from the pizza shop owner counting the Kim’s money to their celebrations. This connotes the importance of money to lower class families and its centrality within capitalism.

Answer 28

jump cut

Question 29

How is the Kim’s family lack of privacy represented through sound?

Answer 29

The diegetic ambient sound of the street

Question 30

What non-diegetic score is used?

Answer 30

rising piano music with some low steady chords

Question 31

What feelings do the non-diegetic score create?

Answer 31

Tension and the inevitability of events (rhythmical?)

Question 32

How is the non-diegetic score contrapuntal?

Answer 32

It sounds too grand for a shot of socks or conversations about stealing wifi. Dark humour. Also suggests change when nothing changes on screen.