Bong Joon-ho on Inventing Parasite's World

Source: theatlantic.com

TL;DR

The story at a glance

David Sims interviews Bong Joon-ho about Parasite, his restrained thriller confined to the homes of poor Kim and wealthy Park families. Bong explains the film's development from a play concept amid Snowpiercer post-production, his genre-subverting style, and class-infiltration themes drawn from personal experience. The piece appears as Parasite gains acclaim ahead of wider international release in late 2019.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Key points

Details and context

Bong's films consistently feature misunderstandings between characters—where audiences know more—fueling sadness and comedy. In Parasite, no one is a villain, but gaps lead to harm; symbols like the landscape stone replace sci-fi directness for neighborly realism.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Production forced non-architectural house designs for story needs, like spying angles. The poor family's semi-basement (banjiha) is common in Seoul alleys, reflecting economic precarity—half above ground, fearing full submersion. Entire neighborhood set built in a water tank for the flood.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Bong drew U.S. influences like The Big Short and Tilda Swinton's Detroit-set film, but stresses universal polarization over Korea-specifics.

Key quotes

"I was thinking, What story could I tell with just two houses? I came up with the idea of a poor house and a rich house." — Bong Joon-ho[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

"When I was in college, I tutored for a rich family, and I got this feeling that I was infiltrating the private lives of complete strangers." — Bong Joon-ho[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

"The second half of the film didn’t actually occur to me for the first few years... Then it all came to me, and I wrote like it was a hurricane." — Bong Joon-ho[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Why it matters

Bong's work highlights how class divides persist and intensify even in developed nations, blending entertainment with social observation. Readers learn his restrained approach yields universal stories without sci-fi crutches, making Parasite accessible yet incisive. Watch international reception and awards buzz, as the film tests genre boundaries abroad.

FAQ

Q: How did Bong Joon-ho come up with Parasite's core idea?

A: A stage-actor friend suggested he direct a play with limited space, so Bong envisioned contrasting poor and rich houses while finishing Snowpiercer. His college tutoring for a wealthy family inspired the infiltration theme, imagining friends joining one by one.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Q: What do the houses represent in Parasite?

A: The rich Park home is an isolated, showy castle emphasizing privacy and taste; the poor Kim semi-basement lacks walls, exposed to streets and floods, symbolizing economic limbo and no privacy.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Q: Why does Bong call Parasite a genre film?

A: It mixes mundane stories with haunted-house and ghost elements, where characters treat normal people as ghosts for social commentary; misunderstandings drive conflict like in his other movies.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)

Q: Is the class divide in Parasite specific to Korea?

A: No, Bong sees polarization everywhere as countries grow richer; the gap feels more relative globally, influenced by U.S. films like The Big Short.[[1]](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/bong-joon-ho-parasite-interview/600007/)