Insincere “Parasite”
“Parasite” is a movie that disappointed me.
I don’t like the symbol “the flavour of the poor”, it is too deliberate and too ineffective. Stones, pizza, bugs, insecticides, peeing men, and a series of symbols such as semi-basements, basements, and mansions, I don’t think it has been used them well. Either it’s too blunt, it’s too stressful, or it’s anticlimactic.
I don’t like the upper class described in “Parasite”. The upper class is not that stupid, easily believe in one recommendation after another; easily believe in the frame of the old nanny. It seems that the upper class has no social experience and no life ability. For instance, they even choose to wait for the driver to recommend a nanny.
In fact, people in the upper class have a stable social circle, and they will not easily trust any staff. They will seek the advice of trustworthy friends when looking for nanny, tutor, buying clothes or wine. They have fixed consumption brands and fixed service organisations.
I don’t like the bottom society described in “Parasite”. The bottom society does not have such powerful capabilities to help people learn English, and easily handle naughty little boys. How can they drive professionally and make the hostess happy because of the impeccable housekeeping service. The reason why the bottom class is the bottom class is not lack of money, but vision and energy. The poor life around the bottom class makes them have no energy to study, no energy to think, and it is difficult to plan for the future.
The so-called flavour of the poor is not a smell, but a despair of giving up, a kind of helpless suffocation. Unfortunately, “Parasite” did not express it at all.
It seems to me that the whole movie broke down when the old nanny rang the doorbell on the rainy night.
How can they allow the old nanny to come in when the whole family is reveling in the owner’s house? If the screenwriter is a little more careful, this problem can actually be solved very well. For example, the “parasite” family would think that the old nanny followed them and got the evidence that they were actually a family to threaten to enter the villa. However, the old nanny only plead for a few words to enter the house, and the “parasite” family put themselves in danger. This is not kindness but madness.
Everything later seemed quite unreasonable. A family of three eavesdropped and suddenly fell down, and the owner could not find out the mess on the floor. The entrance of the basement became a blind spot of sight…
All kinds of irrationality result from insincereness. The feeling the movie gives me is that I found a strange idea and then developed into a movie. Those symbols don’t need to think and design, just give them a definition in straight.
“Parasite” is even reluctant to criticize anyone. Although the president in the movie is selfish and dislikes the flavour of the poor, he and his wife have given full trust to the bottom level and given generous remuneration. They find reasons for dismissing the wrong employees. He and his wife are at best indifferent rich people.
Is this the way the upper class squeezes the bottom? totally not.
In “Burning”, the upper class uses credit cards, consumerism, and even knowledge and experience to squeeze the bottom class, making the bottom a toy that is easily discarded after getting tired of playing. When doing all this, the people on the upper class were not even conscious.
Because they don’t think they have done anything wrong.
This is the gap between classes.
“Parasite” describes the upper class society as if the porter said that the emperor must use a golden pole.
“Parasite” is also reluctant to criticize the bottom.
Is the life at the bottom like this? Survival resources are too scarce, and networks are too narrow. Life at the bottom is full of cunning, deceit, warmth and hurt.
It is really impossible for them to master so many skills, and they really don’t know how to deal with the upper class. Being at a loss is the only possible way of expression. Where can a poor guy be as easy as “Parasite”.
I imagine that if “Parasite” uses magical realism, this family is really parasitic. They devour one host after another, and then become the master, consuming all resources and then looking for the next prey. That’s fun.
Because I saw at the beginning of the movie, the family was too much to be smoked by pesticides, and I really expected the parasites in their bodies to crawl out.
Please check my film comment on “The Boys”, The extraordinary power of banal evil.
