Parasite was universally touted as the best film of 2019. This intricate black comedy by visionary director Bong Joon-Ho portrayed a subtle clash of classes that is native to South Korea but is universal in thematic revelation. It is hard to enumerate the numerous praises for this masterpiece that it really earns its status as one of the decade’s best.
And with this much love for a groundbreaking Korean import, there will be a time for film enthusiasts to spot flaws on the film. And just like Endgame, let us point out some plotholes and their possible explanations.
Spoilers ahead!
Min-hyuk Himself
Min-hyuk is described as a close friend to Ki-woo, whom he offered a job as a replacement tutor for Da-hye. At the beginning of the film, he brought a scholar’s rock to the Kims as a gift from his grandfather and suggested to Ki-woo to take his place and ensure Da-hye remains safe from ogling suitors.
With a lot thrown by him, one would think that he would be involved more in the plot. But he never appeared again nor was mentioned in the film. A reasonable fact could be he embraced the American dream. But his non-mention is helpful.
Ki-jeong’s Teaching Method
In the film, taking Ki-woo’s suggestion, Ki-jeong feigns an identity as a practicing art therapist named Jessica, who is told has a degree in Illinois State University. While Yeong-gyo has initial concerns as to how “Jessica” can teach Da-song, she effectively disciplined him with finesse.
Ki-jeong cites Google “art therapy” searches for providing street-smart skills to control the rowdy boy. Yet, it seems improbable on paper. However, this can be attributed for the fact that with Yeong-gyo’s unwariness, Dong-ik’s apathy, Da-hye’s naivety, and Moon-gwang’s loss of control, Ki-jeong’s deadpan rigidness is what made Da-song be compliant to her teaching methods.
Geun-sae About His Loan Shark Case
The biggest turn of the film occurs at the time when Moon-gwang returns to the Park residence after being fired to take care of some matters. She then revealed that she tucked her husband Geun-sae in a secret underground bunker beneath the house because loan sharks were hunting him down.
Not enough details are given as to why Geun-sae got involved with loan sharks and how grave they are that he would resort to hiding. And if they were that grave, that would leave for search parties to find him. But it could be Geun-sae condemns himself to that position.
Ki-taek Tapping the Light Switch
In the film’s bloody climax, after stabbing Dong-ik and realizing the aftermath of his actions, Ki-taek retreated to the underground bunker into hiding, mirroring Geun-sae’s demise. Once a German family occupied the Park’s house, Ki-taek would mimic Geun-sae’s gestures and press the light switch to send a Morse-coded message, in hopes that Ki-woo would notice.
Of course before the bloodshed, the Parks are nonchalant about the constant light-switching (except Da-song) and Dong-ik thinks of this as AI-controlled. But with new occupants, they could have noticed this light-blinking with subliminal patterns. Then again, they could be as oblivious as the Parks.
Da-song Never Did Anything with the Morse Code Message
Back again to that light switch, it was mentioned that Da-song noticed the hidden patterns from the light switch and he writes it down. But what did he do with that info? Nothing. That night, he spotted the coded message, then his birthday was celebrated with a Native American theme.
On the reason why he was not alarmed, it could be that he retained a spoiled but fortified attitude that his only interest is getting attention.
The Classification of Min-hyuk’s Scholar’s Rock
As mentioned, Min-hyuk offered a scholar’s rock as a gift to Mr. and Mrs. Kim. However, not much detail was given as to how valuable the rock is. What was known is that Ki-taek was impressed with the rock, Ki-woo described it as “metaphorical” and Moon-gwang complained that Min-hyuk should have offered food to them instead.
While not much detail was revealed about the rock, it can be acknowledged that collecting suseoks or scholar’s rocks have been less relevant (as implied by Min-hyuk’s grandpa having an excessive collection). And the rock showing to be floating in the flood speaks volumes.
Parks Not Present in the Kims’ Trial Sentence
The last of what was heard from the Parks was after the bloodshed when Yeong-gyo fainted over the sight of her husband Dong-ik being stabbed by Ki-taek and being carried by her party guests away from the scene, as well as Da-hye carrying a concussed Ki-woo. However, they never showed up to court when the remaining figures of the crime scene, a woozy Ki-woo and a grief-stricken Chung-sook, are sentenced to probation.
It could be that, after feeling the line had been crossed severely, the Parks (probably under the behest of Yeong-gyo) moved away from the place and also the case.
The House Post-Homicide
One would think that a house with a horrifying past on its foundations would be a right call for authorities to condemn the house. But nope, it was retooled by clever realtors to sell it to clueless buyers. In this case, a German family were the next people to reside in the Park’s home.
In real world contexts, realtors would have to either condemn the house or refurbish it to avoid semblance of the original house. Then again, it would go against the movie’s motif of the repetitive cycle of the confined rich disregarding facts from the lower class.
Not Much In-Depth Police Investigation
Back to the house, again, one would think that after a bloodshed in an influential family’s house would be most immediate for the police to conduct an in-depth investigation to the crime scene and lock down the place until further notice. That with extensive information about the house, they would discover the bunker, which will then expose Ki-taek to the police.
But citing Bong Joon-ho’s portrayal of the police in Memories of Murder, this keeps in the same philosophy that authorities give biased governance and the higher class keep the distance for reputation’s sake.
Dong-ik and Yeong-gyo Not Noticing Ki-taek
Yet, the biggest plothole that the film contains is from the Great Escape moment when Ki-taek, Ki-woo, and Ki-jeong had to escape from under the table and out of the Park residence. However, in a tense-biting moment, Da-song suddenly radios his parents Dong-ik and Yeong-gyo from his teepee to comfort him to sleep. At that moment, Ki-taek pauses from crawling in hopes the two would not notice him.
Exactly there, he should have been caught in the act by the Parks. But no. Even with Da-song switching a flashlight on, he was not spotted. So, if the adult Parks are not fully feeble-minded, they still have at least peripheral vision to notice a sneaking man on the floor.
But keep in mind, the theme here is the upper class refusing to look down to the lower class, which explains them not realizing that the Kims are hiding under their table.
