I've got something to say - Parasite

Parasite is arguably one of the most influential films of all time, released in 2019, directed by Bong Joon-ho, follows an unemployed struggling family of four were their son receives an opportunity to work for an extremely wealthy family. The thriller explores themes of social injustice, poverty and the mistreatment of the poor. The South Korean film went on to become the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, also picking up Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

One thing I really love about this film is how it uses angles and framing to create a divide between the rich and poor characters. For example, in this scene, the corner of the glass separates the house maid from the home owner, showing the distance in social class. This divide is never broken throughout this scene, the housemaid has to clap to wake up her employer her, she is not allowed to touch her. This shows the mistreatment of the lower classes from the upper class, they perceive poorer people as dirty.

This divide is also demonstrated throughout the set designs. The poor family live half underground in a basement, whereas the wealthy family live on top of a hill. The vast difference in these settings is a motif for the vast difference in their social class. Furthermore, the cramped environment of the poor families home contrasts to the spacious, open plan wealthy family home. The toilet and clutter frame the two actors in the center of the shot, signifying the lack of personal space and how over cramped four people an done small basement would be.

In comparison, when they are in the wealthier house, their mess doesn't even cover the entire table and the layout is extremely spacious with no clutter on display. Wealthy people often use their homes to display their wealth and their pride, therefore it is the expectation for it to be pristine. As the story is told from the perspective of the poorer family, we understand this home to appear vain and unhomely, whilst still still understandably being extremely jealous.