Parasite (2019) *Spoilers Ahead*
Yes. Once again, I am late for the party. But it was worth it.
I am glad that I waited so long to sit down peacefully and watch this movie.
Parasite makes me so happy on so many levels:
1. I have long appreciated Korean story telling. I am glad that this movie is making people take more notice of it.
2. Secondly, I am glad it is this movie and this director that are bringing the change. It is a great movie, with an amazing cast and a most deserving story-teller.
3. Last, but not least - Kishotenketsu. This is a term that needs to get more popular if we want to see more refreshing and different stories.
And this is what I want to rant about today.
A 4-part story-telling structure that is commonly used in the east which can work with and without conflict in the plot.
Read this one line and you already know that you have opened up more options in story-telling. To understand better, you can read the following articles:
https://stilleatingoranges.tumblr.com/post/25153960313/the-significance-of-plot-without-conflict
https://mythicscribes.com/plot/kishotenketsu/
The moment you give yourself the option of not writing a story around a conflict, you open up the path to tell so many different stories. This, more than anything is what I believe allowed Parasite to grab the attention of the western world.
There have been a lot of movies talking about class divides in the past, in all genres. To name a few: The Pursuit of Happiness, Sorry To Bother You, Mad Max, The Hunger Games etc.
How do you make another one stand out? Find another way to write it.
For example, everyone knew that there is going to be a big reveal which could risk the Kim family’s cover. I was betting on the Park family returning home from their camping trip early. One character even jokes about it in the movie. But did anyone expect the old housekeeper coming back? I doubt it. And boy, does she have secrets of her own.
And that’s where you introduce a twist of a different kind. Suddenly, everything in the first two acts makes sense. The younger kid’s encounter with a “ghost” and why the old housekeeper was “eating enough for two people”.
Suddenly, the point of conflict from the first act is not the point of conflict at all! We have bigger issues, like a crazed man living in a bunker and a dead body.
So, let’s break this story into it’s 4 parts now:
1. Ki - Introduction (In this case, of both families.)
2. Sho - Development (The Kim family’s increased involvement in the Park Family’s life.)
3. Ten - Twist/Complication (There is a third family and we did not see this coming.)
4. Ketsu - Conclusion/Reconciliation (The Kim family’s desperate actions to keep their jobs results in Basement Man losing it.)
And this way we have a pretty compelling story. Makes it interesting. You have character building. And you have twice the amount of conflict - the Kim family’s and the Basement Man’s covers.
But why just stop at that? Let’s layer on the Kishotenketsu, because we have a another story brewing on the side. And that twist is even harder to see coming.
1. Ki - Introduction (The Story of The Patient Father and Ambitious Son)
a. The Patient Father - He makes do with his current situation and doesn’t aspire to do much in life. He is just barely providing for his family.
Note: He does not like stink bugs.
b. The Ambitious Son - He wants more from life and believes in always having a plan. When an auspicious item is brought into his life by a friend, he believes it is a sign.
2. Sho - Two Developments
a. After getting employed by the Park family, the Father is still content with how much he has and appreciates the naive Park family's role in improving his family’s lifestyle. He doesn’t want a lot more from life.
b. The Son waiting for his Father to take action as head of the family. He wants someone to take advantage of the situation and improve his economic and social status.
3. Ten - Twist/Complication
a. The Father finally snaps. After hearing Mr. and Mrs. Park’s comments on his smell, he realises that they look at him exactly like he looks at stink bugs. The last straw is when he sees Mr. Park pinch his nose when approaching the dying Basement Man to just pull out his car keys from under him. That’s when Mr. Kim knows that however much he may show respect or bend down to the upper class man, he is always going to be “the man who smells like boiled rags” and nothing else.
b. The Son finally realises that relying on his Father is taking him nowhere and he will have to take things into his own hands.
4. Ketsu - Conclusion/Reconciliation
a. The Father has to now live with the consequences of not having a plan. He is going to have to use all the patience in him to live out his life in the basement and hope for the best.
b. The Son has to take on responsibility of his family, or whatever is left of it. He is going to have to work really hard on his ambitions. Plan well to rise through the economic classes to be able to save his father one day.
The first story had perceived conflict introduced in the very first act. Just that story on it’s own would’ve been similar to a few other movies and would have had less of an impact.
The second story about the father and son, however, had no point of conflict to start with. And this story interwoven with the first one is what makes this movie all the more effective and leaves as everlasting impression.
These are the kind of stories all story-tellers should aspire to write. For that, it is important to look to all cultures for the different ways of writing stories and create something unique.
titsay
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