Articles on the movie Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho

The Guardian describes the film as a masterpeice that explores the great class divide in South Korea through the story of a poor family which fights to con a rich family. The Guardian praises the film's unique genre and its social coommentary.

Read the Guardian's review

Read the New York Times review

The New York Times praises the unique genre of the film and it's use of comedy to convey a social commentary of the lass divide in South Korea. The film's plot and storytelling is also praised.

The Guardian's article on South Korean class divide

Articles on the class divide in South Korea

This article shortly touches on the social economic divide in South Korea despite the great economic position of South Korea and great life expectency and healthcare. It mentions that despite the great economic development, the country has a large wage divide and that leads to a growing class divide. It also mentions that there are social causes for such a divide in wage and lack of compensation for the raising cost of living.

Tim's review


The twisted and dark comedy film named Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-Ho is a very well known film which exposes and sheds light on social class divide. Bong Joon-Ho is well recognised in South Korea for his work in the film industry, producing many top notch films which all shed light on social and political issues through the use of storytelling and dark comedy. The film Parasite received multiple academy awards and was the first non-English film to take home the Best Picture Oscar award.


Parasite follows the highly impoverished Kim family and their fight to climb up the financial ladder. They devise a plan to get into the Park family home one by one thorough working for them, leeching off of the house like parasites, only for the plot to take an evil turn.


The film is recognised for its reflection of capitalism, class conflict, social inequality and financial inequality. The Kim family represents the standard working class who are struggling to live comfortably in the rising housing prices in South Korea, and the Park family is meant to represent the wealthy elite who live in a bubble.


The fact that Parasite sheds light on the problem of income inequality, which is a major issue around the world, is a reason that the film is so recognised and significant. The film portrays how the working class must take extreme measures to survive whilst the wealthy are able to live comfortably without stress.


In addition, the film Parasite sheds light on the inequalities of class structure and how it contributes to the poverty loops. The film demonstrates that those at the bottom of the social hierarchy often have to resort to unethical and illegal means of providing income and surviving, whilst those at the top of the financial ladder are compelled to employ legal means. It also shows the harsh socioeconomic reality is, and encourages people to look around and think about their society. This film is very relatable to many parts of the world and that is another reason as to why it is so recognised.