Parasite
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Directed by Bong Joon Ho · Drama · Thriller · 132 min · 2019
Trailer
Director
Bong Joon Ho
Writer
Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won
Studio
Barunson E&A
Release
08 Nov 2019
Runtime
132 min
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Full Plot
The Kims - mother and father Chung-sook and Ki-taek, and their young adult offspring, son Ki-woo and daughter Ki-jung - are a poor family living in a shabby and cramped half basement apartment in a busy lower working class commercial district of Seoul. Without even knowing it, they, especially Mr. and Mrs. Kim, literally smell of poverty. Often as a collective, they perpetrate minor scams to get by, and even when they have jobs, they do the minimum work required. Ki-woo is the one who has dreams of getting out of poverty by one day going to university. Despite not having that university education, Ki-woo is chosen by his university student friend Min, who is leaving to go to school, to take over his tutoring job to Park Da-hye, who Min plans to date once he returns to Seoul and she herself is in university. The Parks are a wealthy family who for four years have lived in their modernistic house designed by and the former residence of famed architect Namgoong. While Mr. and Mrs. Park are all about status, Mrs. Park has a flighty, simpleminded mentality and temperament, which Min tells Ki-woo to feel comfortable in lying to her about his education to get the job. In getting the job, Ki-woo further learns that Mrs. Park is looking for an art therapist for the Parks' adolescent son, Da-song, Ki-woo quickly recommending his professional art therapist friend "Jessica", really Ki-jung who he knows can pull off the scam in being the easiest liar of the four Kims. In Ki-woo also falling for Da-hye, he begins to envision himself in that house, and thus the Kims as a collective start a plan for all the Kims, like Ki-jung using assumed names, to replace existing servants in the Parks' employ in orchestrating reasons for them to be fired. The most difficult to get rid of may be Moon-gwang, the Parks' housekeeper who literally came with the house - she Namgoong's housekeeper when he lived there - and thus knows all the little nooks and crannies of it better than the Parks themselves. The question then becomes how far the Kims can take this scam in their quest to become their version of the Parks.
Cast & Characters
Kim Ki-taek (), the Kim family patriarch who is hired as Park Dong-ik's chauffeur
Song Kang-ho
Park Dong-ik (), the Park family patriarch and breadwinner
Lee Sun-kyun
Choi Yeon-gyo (), the Park family matriarch, introduced as a sweet but naïve stay-at-home wife
Cho Yeo-jeong
Kim Ki-woo / "Kevin" (), the Kims' son who is hired as Da-hye's ESOL tutor. Choi said the character is "intelligent but does not have the vigor needed to succeed in examinations".
Choi Woo-shik
Kim Ki-jung / "Jessica" (), the Kims' daughter who is hired as Da-song's art therapist. Charismatic and cunning, she is able to assimilate into the world of the wealthy more easily than her family members.
Park So-dam
Chung-sook (), the Kim family matriarch who is hired as the Parks' housekeeper
Jang Hye-jin
Gook Moon-gwang (), the Parks' housekeeper, who also worked for the house's architect and previous owner. Bong Joon Ho said her relationship with the architect and parts of her story "that happen in between the sequences in the film" will be explored in the spin-off TV series.
Lee Jung-eun
Oh Geun-sae (), Moon-gwang's husband
Park Myung-hoon
Park Da-hye (), the Parks' reserved teenaged daughter
Jung Ji-so
Park Da-song (), the Parks' eccentric young son who is seen by his parents as an artistic prodigy
Jung Hyeon-jun
Yoon (), Park Dong-ik's chauffeur
Park Keun-rok
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $11.4M, Parasite has grossed $257.6M worldwide — about 22.7x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
4 million in South Korea and $53.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
The idea for Parasite originated in 2013.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
Parasite holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (1,148,210 votes), 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, 97/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 5, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.5/10 on IMDb (1,148,210 votes), 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, 97/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Parasite's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Parasite holds a 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Parasite's IMDb rating?+
Parasite has a 8.5/10 rating on IMDb from 1,148,210 votes.
What is Parasite's Metacritic score?+
Parasite has a Metascore of 97/100 on Metacritic.
Is Parasite good? What are critics saying?+
Parasite holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (1,148,210 votes), 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, 97/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Parasite?+
Parasite has a runtime of 132 min.
Who directed Parasite?+
Parasite was directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Where can I watch Parasite?+
Parasite is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, MUBI, BFI Player, BFI Player Amazon Channel, MUBI Amazon Channel, Curzon Amazon Channel, BFI Player Apple TV Channel, ITVX Premium, Rakuten TV, Curzon Home Cinema, Sky Store, VI movies and tv.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to the movie "Parasite" is overwhelmingly positive. Many reviewers praise its engaging storyline, stylish visuals, and effective themes that go beyond class exploitation. The film's unique blend of genres and its unexpected twist have resonated with viewers. Some critics are also excited about the potential for a Netflix series adaptation based on their collaboration with director Bong Joon Ho.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
What makes ‘Parasite’ so satisfying is that it commits neither error. It’s an engrossing, stylish and near perfect movie, and its underlying themes go beyond merely pointing out class exploitation to challenge the logic of capital. Though he is often juggling a mosaic of characte…
SWITCH. · 10/10The working class and down on their luck Kim family struggle to make ends meet. When a friend of the son, Ki-Woo’s, who is an English tutor for the daughter in the wealthy Park family, has to leave his position, he recommends Ki-Woo for the job. Now having an "in" with the wealth…
Sheldon Nylander · 10/10This is VERY HIGHLY OVERRATED. The most part of the movie is foul-playing, most of those scenes seem to have been copied from the 1999/old Vijay’s movie: Minsaara Kannan [IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7562630/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2], (Warning: This again might be a copy of some…
Saru · 4/10errbnb News that Adam McCay is collaborating with Bong Joon Ho to retool Parasite as a Netflix series makes me positively giddy. Parasite is easily the best movie I've seen since the Big Short. Joon Ho's compelling ease of execution alongside the effortless lure of the plot's tra…
tmdb39513728 · 10/10"You know what kind of plan that never fails? No plan. No plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned." 'Parasite' is absolutely fantastic. I'm still buzzing how good this movie is. Unpredictable and nuts. You know, this summer I was starting to get a little worn ou…
Matthew Brady · 9/10If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Yes, I know. I'm late as hell. I don't really have anything to offer you besides my personal opinion. Theses and video essays are breaking down Parasite at such a deep level that I ca…
Manuel São Bento · 10/10Decent enough dark comedy/thriller, with nice performances and an engaging story, though not entirely sure it was Best Picture worthy though reserving judgment as I've only seen one other nominee, Joker which I loved but not worthy of a BP. I don't know, maybe I'm a bit disappoin…
JPV852 · 7/10**_An uncategorisable masterpiece_** >_We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service – two dishes, but to one table._ - William Shakespeare; _The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke_,…
Stephen Campbell · 9/10First of all it's a masterpiece, it's shows how the higher class actually judge the lower class people. At it looks like a normal story of a family who all are struggling hard to live, but their life gets changed when all four of them one by one get employed in park's house. Afte…
"We all live in the same country... called capitalism." _Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._
Gimly · 8/10What starts as a seemingly simple premise quickly unfolds into much more. I didn't expect an enhanced perspective into my own life, but that's just what happened. Parasite is a timely analysis of the ever-increasing divide between rich and poor, all while being witty enough to ma…
tmdb92312096 · 10/10One of the funniest and most disturbing films I've ever seen. Probably some of the best cinematography ever. 10/10
RustyBoi · 10/10Despite hearing about this from day dot, I thankfully managed to avoid knowing anything about this other than it's title, director and subsequent success. Boy am I glad, because it's quite the ride! No doubt about it, <em>'Parasite'</em> is a high quality film. It wasn't at all w…
r96sk · 9/10<i>Parasite</i> is fantastic. It's clever. It's funny. It's disturbing. And yes, there is a powerful underlying theme of the divide between rich and poor. But the latter is so deftly weaved into the fabric of the story, you really don't think about it much until a fateful scene b…
Repo Jack · 10/10Loved it! It's a different kind of movie from your usual run of the mill kind. The twists and turns in the storyline keep you engaged. Recommended!
fourfridays · 8/10Parasite is a brilliant psychological thriller that explores class disparity through the story of a poor family who deceitfully infiltrates a wealthy household. As their manipulation deepens, the film reveals both the absurdity and tragedy of blind trust and social inequality. Wi…
Alunauwie · 10/10
From the trailer's comments
0:59 omg that part 😆
@kltl2972 · 64 likesBong Joon-ho is officially the winner of 72th Cannes' Palm D'Or with Parasite, making him the first Korean to ever win it!
@divabramantyo7126 · 110 likesSo this is the film that got 5 minutes standing applause on cannes film festival? Please come to Indonesia.
@asei2177 · 155 likesCrazy movie and so unexpected- it’s a must watch
@dianett2333 · 2 likesThought of the anime "parasyte"
@michealainseal193 · 53 likesSoooooo intriguing!
@yjloislee · 4 likesBong Joon Ho is back 😍
@idsibling5151 · 9 likesPark So Dam ada jugaa ternyataa 😂👍👌👌
@nadilazulfa4266 · 5 likes
