'Parasite' Director Bong Joon-ho Breaks Down the Opening Scene | Vanity Fair

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Published 2019-11-12

Writer-director, Bong Joon-ho, and actor, Woo-sik Choi, break down the symbolism of the opening scene in their critically-acclaimed foreign film, 'Parasite.' They take us through the bizarre moment we first see the scholar stone and explain how scavenging for set materials and costume design helped create a world that highlights the disparities of wealth and poverty. Bong is honored his film coincides with the celebration of Korean film's 100th anniversary.

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All Comments (21)

@TheLlovaa 4 years ago

"Once you overcome the 1 inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."
@gojostarrr 4 years ago

imagine being mad at people for speaking their language
@gleseamv 4 years ago

this has nothing to do with their accents or english or anything, but their whole vibe reminds me of 2 students presenting a project haha
@thatbitch8795 4 years ago

they give off a “teacher and his personal apprentice” vibe.
@officialconch 4 years ago

Imagine watching a 2 hour movie in Korean to complain about a 13 minute video occasionally being in Korean
@momopeachy8033 4 years ago

Every time Bong asked “ why” I got anxiety.. I felt like I was in my literature class lol
@patriciaramirez2982 4 years ago

it’s so cute how he’s just drawing hearts and stars everywhere
@TheLANMAC 4 years ago

Bong Joon-ho: that's you :) Choi Woo-shik: that's me (:
@HKFern 4 years ago

Director Bong: why? Me, completely uninvolved in the making of this movie: sweats profusely
@gh0stpoop 4 years ago

I love that director bong kept asking woo-shik “why” right before he’d elaborate. Reminded me of one of my favorite university professors, so thought provoking.
@famousamos 4 years ago

The guy on the left is Canadian-Korean! In case you were wondering.
@emiliab9322 4 years ago

Bong Joon Ho underlining the word “pretend” saying that it’s a crucial word reminded me when dahye (rich daughter) said that her brother is pretending to be an artist and then jiwoo (poor boy) tells her to write in English using the word “pretend” twice. And by that time, only 2 of the family members were “pretending” to be someone they’re not
@LindsayDaly 4 years ago

I love how Bong quizzes the actor like a teacher and student! "This is a very important moment. Why?" lol
@Holly-wn5hb 4 years ago

I wish they had just let them speak in Korean, it would allow them to actually explain the scenes the way the want to and with more complexity. They ARE Korean
@rileypothier3006 4 years ago

Here's an idea. Instead of talking about the 1% of negative comments, let's talk about how amazing this movie was and how much of a genius Bong Joon ho is.
@Nightriser271828 4 years ago

I also think the bit with the stinkbug was very symbolic. It's an undesirable, stinky pest that the father flicks away, foreshadowing Mr. Park's reaction to Mr. Kim.
@supersucks 4 years ago

The amount of detail and symbolism in this movie is out of this world
@Shalalacls 4 years ago

Stops. Circles. "Very funny face right there." My kind of people.
@brenwatson 3 years ago

I really liked how the director tends to ask the actor "why" when explaining something, it shows that he likes that kind of dynamic of teacher -student, and I think that speaks volumes on the way he directs because he cares that his actors really get to understand the meaning behind what he is doing for the movie or character they're playing....well that´s my point of view :)
@ekdud2772 3 years ago

this has strong “there’s an odd number of kids in class so i had to partner with the teacher” vibes