Existential Strains in Parasite: An Analysis of Class, Power, and Despair

Abstract

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019) serves as a compelling exploration of existential themes within the framework of modern capitalist society. This article analyzes the film through an existentialist lens, focusing on how class struggle, power dynamics, familial bonds, and the pursuit of meaning reveal the psychological and philosophical tensions faced by individuals in a rigidly stratified world. The film juxtaposes the lives of the affluent Park family and the impoverished Kim family to analyze the illusion of social mobility and the dehumanizing effects of economic inequality. The Kim family’s infiltration of the Park household is portrayed as both a strategic survival tactic and an existential assertion of agency. However, their quest for autonomy ultimately unravels, exposing the fragility of their aspirations in the face of an indifferent social order. The characters’ existential choices, ranging from deception to rebellion, highlight the paradox of freedom in a system designed to suppress it. Ki-taek’s final act of violence and Ki-woo’s delusional hope of upward mobility underscore the absurdity inherent in their pursuit of dignity and meaning.  Drawing on existentialist thinkers such as Sartre and Camus, the article examines how Parasite employs visual metaphors, spatial dynamics, and symbolic dialogue to represent alienation, despair, and resistance. The semi-basement, the staircase, and the underground bunker become physical embodiments of existential liminality. Ultimately, Parasite emerges as a cinematic reflection on the absurdities of class and the existential costs of living under systemic oppression, challenging viewers to reconsider the nature of freedom, identity, and human worth in contemporary society.