Parasite: 10 Reasons To Watch This Genre-Bending Dark Comedy Thriller

10. The Symbolism

There's a ton of symbolism throughout the film, from the sub-basement's contrast to the mansion basement in terms of social standing to the scholar's rock gift at the start of the film, and to count all significant visual story cues would warrant its own list.

The stairs are a central symbol, fairly clear shorthand for the difference between social standings of the impoverished Kim family and the wealthy Park family, but there's more than one theme that the many sets of stairs symbolise.

The many exterior steps going down from the mansion to the Kims's sub-basement shows just how enormous the economic disparity is, with the steps becoming increasingly dangerous and dirty and badly lit the farther down they go. The contentment of those living in the basement also presents thematic significance for those who are content to take the scraps of the ignorant wealthy and be absurdly grateful for it, in contrast with the hopeful bid for change of station by those who live in the semi-surfaced sub-basement.

The film is rich with much more symbolism than these, and all the thought put into an already stylish, enjoyable film deserves lauding.