A Modern Survival Story Disguised as a Thriller
This film was extraordinarily wild, and I enjoyed everything they did with it.
Parasite took me down the longest road of twists and turns I’ve been on this year. Just when you think something’s about to let up — when you finally feel like you’ve figured out exactly what’s going to happen next — the movie slaps you across the face… only to get you ready for the giant punch that’s coming.
Now, you don’t need to go deep into this film to get what it’s about. In my opinion, it’s a movie about one thing:
Survival.
That’s all there is to it.
The way it’s presented, though? Absolutely phenomenal.
The character development is delivered to you on a silver platter — no unnecessary fluff, just exactly what you need to know. Everything else? Just crumbs — little bits left on the side that you could easily sweep onto the floor without losing anything important.
What I mean by that is — you don’t need their whole life stories. You understand these characters just by watching how they react and interact within the family unit. Right from the jump, you know this family isn’t your typical picture-perfect setup. And I don’t mean that as an insult — I mean it in a way that builds curiosity for what’s about to unfold.
If I had to break this family down, I’d categorize them like we’re baking a cake:
- The Son – The Recipe
- The Daughter – The Decorator
- The Father – The Deliverer
- The Mother – The Baker
Lets get into it.
The Recipe
Kim Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi)
This dude killed this role — but honestly, he’s been quietly killing it for a while. If you’ve seen Okja or Train to Busan, you already know he’s got serious range. With Parasite, though, he’s starting to hit that Hollywood spotlight — and rightfully so.
I called him The Recipe because he’s the one who starts everything.
Without him, none of this happens. The whole plot kicks off because of his friend Min — who casually hands him an opportunity to tutor a rich family’s daughter. What kind of friend just gives away a gig like that? Maybe they weren’t as close as we’re led to believe — but that’s a whole different conversation.
Anyway, Kim takes the job… reluctantly at first. But once he steps foot into the Park household, the gears start turning — and the whole family takeover begins.
The Decorator
Kim Ki-jung (So-dam Park)
This was easily my favorite character in the whole movie.
If bullshitting was an Olympic sport, she would take home the gold — no competition. The moment she steps in with her whole “art therapy” scam, she absolutely wipes the floor with Yeo (the rich mom). And the best part? She does it with the kind of confidence that makes you wonder if maybe she’s actually legit.
But she’s not. She’s just that good.
The Deliverer
Kim Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song)
This guy is an acting legend — if you’ve ever seen Memories of Murder or The Host, you already know how effortlessly he disappears into roles.
Here, he’s the quiet backbone of the operation. He slides into the driver job like he was born for it — delivering everything the family needs to keep their little scam rolling along. But what really sells his character is how much pain he hides behind that calm, almost lazy exterior.
He’s a man who’s been beaten down by life — just waiting for the moment when it all boils over.
The Baker
Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang)
The mother. The final piece of the puzzle.
She slips into the housekeeper role almost too perfectly — replacing Moon-gwang (the original maid) like it was meant to happen all along. Her chemistry with the rest of the family sells the whole pretend family dynamic so well that you almost forget they’re pulling off a scam.
The Story
Now, let’s talk about the actual plot — without spoiling too much.
The first half of this movie plays out like some kind of dark comedy heist film — with the Kim family infiltrating the Park household piece by piece. But just when you think you’ve got the whole movie figured out…
BAM — the basement scene happens.
If you’ve seen it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
That’s where the entire movie shifts gears into something completely different. What started out as a clever con job turns into something way darker — something that blurs the line between who’s really the parasite and who’s the host.
That Ending
Without spoiling too much — the ending is what elevates Parasite from just a great thriller into something… more.
The final moments strip away all the humor and leave you with this raw, ugly truth about how society works. The rich will always look down on the poor — even in moments of crisis. And eventually…
Something has to break.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Parasite isn’t just about the Kim family scamming their way into a better life. It’s about how far people will go to survive — and how the world is built to keep certain people at the top and others at the bottom.
Do I think what the Kim family did was wrong? Absolutely.
Would I have done the same thing if I were in their shoes?
That’s the whole point of this movie — it makes you question what you’d be willing to do if the world backed you into a corner.
A masterclass in tension, deception, and human desperation.
Would you rather be the Parasite…
or the Host?
