Explaining the Movie 'Parasite'

First, it's a South Korean production, and it's not likely to be shown much in most theaters around the country.....however, it's now in the hyped-up group for best movie of the year for the Oscars.

The basic script?

There's this South Korean family (father, mother, son and daughter) who are on the bottom level of society in South Korea.  They live in a basement of a highly urbanized neighborhood, and are marginally 'making it'.

One day, junior gets this tip on a job....a tutor job.  It's for a rich and affluent family.   Junior has to go and pretend a lot of things, but it's part of the family tradition of surviving.

The storytelling art is stretched a good bit because they introduce you to this somewhat dysfunctional rich family, and their housekeeper. 

As time goes by, Junior sees a chance to bring his sister into the game....also pretending that she has expertise to fit some role in the rich affluent family. 

Along the way, they see a chance to edge the housekeeper out (getting her fired), and then the mother of the marginalized family enters the scene as the new housekeeper. 

The father? Well, the son figures a way to get the rich family's chauffeur driver fired, and so dad shows up and becomes the new chauffeur. 

So, they are all doing well, and fitting into this scheme.  Then, the curve occurs.  The rich family goes off for a weekend, and the marginalized family decides to party it up at the 'mansion'.

The party goes well, until the old fired housekeeper arrives.  In a matter of ten minutes....this movie changes gears and goes to the weirdest unexpected thing....the modern house has a bomb-shelter in the basement, which the rich affluent family is totally unaware of.  The housekeeper is aware of it.....and there sits the 'secret' to the whole story....the house-keeper's husband. 

This guy has gotten himself into trouble and has had to disappear, and the old housekeeper has kept him there, in a secluded room.....feeding him.  There is no exit out of the room.....unless the outside person moves a cabinet. 

Things go downhill at this point, with a fight between the housekeeper and husband....versus the marginalized family.

I won't go into great detail about the ending, but it's a pretty dramatic ending....with more than a couple of folks dead. 

With twists and turns....I regard Parasite as one of the best stories of the past twenty years.