20 Things You Didn't Know About Parasite

Seeing that Bong Jong-ho is known for being detail-oriented and having an impressive handling of visuals in his films, it is no surprise that his 2019 masterwork would feature imagery and visual motfis that are both appealing and layered with subtext that fleshes out the story’s intentions.

Stairs are used to emphasize the (literal and figurative) uphill battle the Kim family must endure in order to achieve economic stability. Notably, their ascent and descent from the Park household are drawn out affairs, showcasing the gap between the two classes.

On the other hand, the Kim household is a semi-basement and its unique structure symbolizes the middle class’s frailty and how easy it is for working class individuals to fall further down into economic despair.