Parasite | 2019

Main Plot

Parasite follows the struggling Kim family as they scheme their way into the lives of the affluent Park family. Living in a cramped basement apartment, the Kims seize an opportunity when their son Ki-woo is hired as an English tutor for the Parks’ daughter. Gradually, the entire Kim family infiltrates the household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified workers—each taking on roles such as art therapist, driver, and housekeeper. As the Kims settle into their new positions, they become entangled in a web of deception, enjoying the luxuries of the Parks’ lavish lifestyle. However, their carefully constructed façade begins to crumble when secrets from the past are revealed, leading to escalating tensions and unexpected consequences. The film explores themes of social inequality, greed, and the desperation that arises from poverty, ultimately culminating in a dramatic clash between the two families that exposes the dark undercurrents of class division.

Characters

• Song Kang-ho plays Kim Ki-taek, the resourceful patriarch of the Kim family. His character navigates desperation and cunning as he seeks a better life for his loved ones.
• Lee Sun-kyun portrays Park Dong-ik, the affluent head of the Park household. He becomes an unwitting catalyst in the escalating tension between the two families’ worlds.
• Cho Yeo-jeong appears as Choi Yeon-gyo, the naive and trusting matriarch of the Parks. Her vulnerability exposes the deep social divide at the heart of the story.

Ending Explained

In the final act of Parasite, the simmering tensions between the Kim and Park families erupt into chaos during a lavish birthday party. The Kims’ secret infiltration of the Parks’ household is exposed after a series of violent confrontations with the previous housekeeper and her husband, who had been secretly living in the basement. The party descends into tragedy when the basement dweller, driven by desperation and rage, attacks the Kims and Parks, resulting in the death of the Park family patriarch and severe injuries to Ki-woo, the Kim son. Ki-taek, the Kim father, overwhelmed by humiliation and rage at the Parks’ disregard for his family’s suffering, impulsively kills Mr. Park and flees, ultimately hiding in the same basement. The film closes with Ki-woo fantasizing about earning enough money to buy the house and free his father, but reality intrudes, revealing this dream as unattainable. The ending underscores the inescapable grip of social inequality, leaving the Kim family fractured and trapped by the very system they tried to outwit.