Great movies have a habit of aging well, but the very best keep getting better and better as the years pass by, growing increasingly relevant through the prism of time. The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, Apocalypse Now, Hannah Montana: The Movie – all brilliant upon release, but have continued to grow in stature and renown as the benefit of hindsight proves how great they truly are.
Released in 2019, Parasite focuses on two very different families: the wealthy Parks and the struggling Kims. After the Kim family infiltrates the Parks' household, a string of increasingly dark events is triggered by a man hiding in the basement. This shocking discovery culminates in a bloody birthday party and several dead bodies, but at least Bong Joon Ho's masterpiece took home the Best Picture Oscar for its troubles.
Parasite's Core Message Is Even More Powerful Now Than In 2019
Economic and social inequality sits at the heart of Parasite's brutal story. Throughout the movie, Bong Joon Ho highlights the chasm between the Park and Kim families, not just in terms of lifestyle and material possessions but their attitudes and values. Parasite constantly offers glimmers of hope that the Kim family can dig themselves out of financial hardship, whether via Ki-woo's career ambitions or assimilating into the Park house.
Parasite's ending dishes out a crushing dose of reality. Wanted for murder, Ki-taek is forced to dwell in the basement of the Parks' former house, presumably until he dies. His only hope for freedom is Ki-woo's ability to build a successful enough career to one day purchase the very house his father is trapped within. It's never said explicitly, but Parasite's final minutes leave little doubt that Ki-woo isn't going to ever afford that house, driving home the bitter truth of his financially bleak, fatherless, future.
Parasite came out in 2019. Since then, the world has endured a pandemic, conflicts, political upheaval, Brexit, and rising inflation, all of which has resulted in a steep rise in the cost of living and greater economic hardship for those who, like the Kim family, are low earners. Parasite hasn't just stayed relevant since the year of its release, the story has transformed into a cinematic anthem that speaks to the situations of families across the globe.
Fear Not, There's An Even Bleaker Interpretation Of Parasite's Ending
Parasite ends with Ki-woo regaining consciousness from his head injury and using Morse code to figure out his father is alive inside the basement of the Parks' house. As he resolves to one day buy that house, Parasite shows an idyllic flashforward of that very reunion. This flashforward is, at first glance, the only element of Parasite's ending that takes place inside Ki-woo's head – his dream of the future.
Another way to interpret Parasite's closing scenes, however, is that everything after Ki-woo's apparent recovery is a product of his mind. The character does take a hefty blow to the head, after all, and the possibility of permanent damage is hinted at. Oddities in the final scenes (such as the rock Ki-woo was hit with being returned to him) add to the idea that Parasite's ending is a fantasy.
In this interpretation, Ki-woo is only imagining the Morse code message from his father and the hope of buying the Park house. In reality, Ki-taek would either be missing, captured, or dead, depriving the Kim family of even the faintest slither of hope Parasite leaves them (and the audience) clutching onto.
