Why Does Rage Define ‘Parasite’ and Other Popular East Asian Movies?

What a ridiculous, frightening (for the author) thing to say; '... Today, the idea of loyalty, of obedience and self-improvement, can seem hopelessly outdated...'. If you're a millennial, than almost ANY sort of normal human interaction is passé (where choosing summertime in an app, based on totally surface, rather than being someone - in person, just as an example), replaced with shallowness. You reap what you sow (or as they'd probably misspell; 'reep as you so'), and this author doesn't get it (nothing surprising). Being - as many articles have mentioned - the self-centered, totally amoral monsters their parents have made them (not bothering to ever teach them!), they've little, if any concept that most normal humans DO find loyalty, etc., and automotons like this one will never, ever find anything in it's lifetime remotely close which will be fulfilling. Whether it's what Sam Spade did for Ilsa, what Dorothy from Kansas finally realised, etc, these acts - of love, kindness, compassion, have lasted millions of years, they're hardwired into our DNA (and as another FAR-better written article in today's same issue, about dogs), they ALSO have it in their DNA. All... except millennials... Sigh; if we could just click our heels and make THEM all go away...

I got through the first paragraph and instantly thought, wow, this woman has no idea what she's talking about. "Fortune is such an abstract idea to the struggling Kims..." Really? My word, yes, us poor Asians, because we've been humbled for millennia with Confucian beliefs, have ceased to understand what being rich means or even looks like. Well, gee, I don't know, if I'm poor, and when someone brings me a gift to help out, I'd rather it be a plate of food than a rock too. This is a mindset that grew out of decades of instability, war, and then the scars of capitalism that the West left across Asia. Oh, and then it gets better: "...Confucian philosophy that still influences South Korean society, a place where fundamental beliefs about obedience and respect have been manipulated to create a highly wealthy and functional economy, one in which women are not considered equal to men and where there is an ever-widening divide between rich and poor: the result of a relentless pursuit of rapid economic growth." Please have a good look in the mirror. You can translate all these attributes of classism and sexism into Western society. Chaebols, oligarchical wealth, and a political system intertwined with money are just copy-pasted versions of a dysfunctioning system that reek of the stench of Western capitalism.

I would probably not make such a sweeping generalization about an entire region from a such a small batch of films. And on a technical note, Director Park Chan-wook's first name is Chan-wook and his last name is Park - that really should be fixed.

My understanding of "han" is "suffering with the right to revenge; in addition, this suffering makes a person morally superior." The Koreans have been invaded by foreign powers many times, which caused a lot of suffering. "Han" converts this suffering into a virtue. Perhaps there is a similar concept in China, where many say they are willing to "吃苦" i.e., "eat hardship (suffer) for furtue gains."

*ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS*. The Five Constants Essence of Confucian teachings, are that a Confucian Gentleman "Junzi" practices, revere and honours, 1. "Ren" i.e. humanity, do good for (and avoid harmful acts) to people and society, as a yard stick for moral rightful or wrongful act ( similar to Christianity "love thy neighbour", 2. EDUCATION, seeking knowledge and it beneficial and astute applications, 3. "Li Mao" Good mannerism, due respect, and decorum accorded to all people, 4. "Tao Ik" RIGHTEOUSNESS, duty to do the right act ( related to "Ren" concept), and 5. "Xin" personal INTEGRITY, in all social interactions. I opines that it is the cultural Foundation that drives the developmental successes of most East Asian nations and culturally defines a Chinese. Confucians value has parallels with the much admired English Elizabeth/Victorian spirit. On the contrary, it eschews evil acts, unnecessary violence, opulent luxury, hedonism, greed, selfishness, cowardice, etc. If, in the unlikely case, that your violent movies examples are related to Confucius teaching, the relation is very likely to be tenuous and mistaken. Thanks.

It's a film about capitalism, I don't think it tries to be terribly subtle about it, and Bong Joon Ho is pretty clear about it in interviews too - “Compared to all my other films, Parasite in particular I think is the most universal story, and no matter where it screens, which country or festival, the audience response has been pretty similar,” he explained. “I think that’s because, while on the surface the film features very Korean characters and details, in the end it’s as if we’re all living in this one country of capitalism.” I think this talk about the inherent obedience of billion and half people who live in different countries with different with different cultures and history is a bit unbecoming (and that's an understatement), and also not terribly relevant to the analysis of the film.

Lot of words for her point of view on movies from Asian cultures through the single lens of Confucianism. Bet she could do the same with European cinema and Christianity and be equally opinionated and unenlightened. See the movies. See lots of Asian movies. Think for yourself. Come to your own conclusions.

I have another theory - it can be summed up as ‘The Tarantino Effect’......

This white woman spent almost three years living in China in the 1980s, was married for 14 years to someone who grew up in China, and speaks, reads and writes Chinese. From my perspective, right now Chinese government officials are combining traditional Confucian ethics with Communist ones. That will lead to total control, which is why many people is China are angry and frustrated. Others are merely complacent, having been lulled into thinking their life has improved materially, so all is fine.

The constant casting of (modern) East Asian media through the lens of Confucianism--- and especially lumping in several countries with very different and multifaceted cultural references such as South Korea, Japan, and China--- is a very old Orientalist trope. The connection is at best tenuous, and at worst lazy. It would be like trying to *simultaneously* analyze modern American, British, French, and Swedish media through the single lens of Christianity. We would know better than to attempt that --you can hardly achieve such an analysis with American media alone, given how diverse the country is!-- so why do we so glibly allow this Orientalism to be published time and time again?

I'm Korean. Han is very real. It's even in the DSM. It's almost universal among us. It's transmitted imperceptibly from parent to child, and becomes a integral part of each of us. A trendy alternative name for it, among Korean Americans, is "K-Rage". I think han in great part explains much of the impulse for certain self-destructive behaviors among us Koreans.

Great 'news' story. So happy you didn't fall into assuming any Asian stereotypes (or as your millennials are obsessed. 'tropes'), such as always being peaceful (fact; the barbarism of the Imperial Japanese army was FAR more reprehensible than anything done by the Nazis, and they were scared of them, as well). 'Trope' - you're word-of-the-day is a CLICHÉ!!!!!

A careful reading of “Parasite” must note a distinct and telling difference between the two patriarchs of the parallel families in the film. Kim Ki-Taek expresses concern (compassion) for the chauffeur he has replaced, hoping aloud that the man easily found another job. Park Dong-Ik makes much of the idea of his house staff “not crossing the line,” and it his constant complaints about Ki-Taek’s smell that finally precipitates a violent attack. (It’s interesting that he even teaches his wife to notice Ki-Taek’s smell.) The dehumanization is the absurd wealth of the Parks, who can’t even remember what it’s like to ride the subway. Who has hung onto their humanity in this brutal equation? Rage is the expression of that humanity in the film’s world.

Storytelling can save us. Especially if storytellers inspire us to just do better -- be better to each other. But violence sells. Violence attracts. This article admits morality is not on the agenda for revenge-plot films. Great stories can of course be violent, but stories with violence are best celebrated only if the basic themes are inherently moral, as with Shakespeare, or the original FARGO. Film critics often elevate violent films, justifying them much as this writer does -- through immoral rationalization. The amoral blood-and-guts films described in this piece may inspire violence as much as SCARFACE still reportedly does for today's organized criminals -- "Say hello to my little friend" quote today's real-life assassins. This "hey, it's art" rationalization is a long-running, soul-sucking deal with the devil that perpetually contributes to death and torture of real men, women and children in the real world, and will do so, far into the future. Violence and revenge without a moral component are still lazy ways to evoke emotion, anxiety, and hold attention. The much braver artists play to the higher angels, and provoke and entertain without inspiring more glorified atrocity. THEY are the radicals. Not the filmmakers who stick to the old-hat violence, the status quo, by falling back to easy, violent tricks that will cost us all in the long run.

Thank you Thessally for reminding me why I subscribe to NYT. I thoroughly enjoyed Parasite and now have a much better contectual understanding of the film. Kudos.

You are creating a story where there is non. Nice try.

Beautiful article and analysis of timeless topics. And so satisfying to read an author who actually dissects pretty accurately why we are attracted to these movies, the purpose of these movies in healing our psyches. If art is medicine, then this article certainly fits that bill.

I went to see Parasite recently at the local independent cinema. I had read nothing very specific but a lot of high praise. I was very surprised to find the audience heavily made up of college aged boys who did not look like the intellectual contingent and certainly not like the usual attendees at that cinema. I stayed for about half of it. I did not find it that "elucidating ". The character development felt shallow to me but I'm not Korean and it was subtitled so that is even a problem for me when the movie is Greek or French. But I was attempting to muddle through in the interest of art. Even I realized that the party in the middle ( spoiler alert) was a bad idea because surely the rainstorm would bring the family home early. When that event became inevitable I realized : " There is about to be a Korean version of a Tarantino moment. That is what all these young men are here for. I'm getting up and going now". So I have no idea whether the cute little boy survived...Just dreadful. Since art reflects very often where society is going -artists and adolescents have a power to anticipate the trajectory of the zeitgeist -it's most distressing . I do think that this review/essay was brilliant and I appreciate the information. I will not be going to any of these movies. And I go to a lot of films and they do not have to be happy and sweet.

Very thoughtful and well written piece. As the author says, the never ending injustices and inequalities in the world make all of us angry at times, enraged too. And often no telling what we might do. And many Asian movies reflect that as described. But since she wove in Confucian values and how they are distorted to achieve unjust ends, it's also interesting to look more deeply at what Confucius taught. That would take a lifetime of course but to a large degree it can be summed up as another writer put it: “To change the world you must change the nation, to change the nation you must change its people, to change its people you must change the families, to change the families you must change the Self, to change the Self you must change your Heart, to change your Heart you must change your mind, to change your mind you must change your thoughts, to change you thoughts you must investigate knowledge – seeing things as they really are.” Changing the world one heart at a time is clearly a never ending and enormous task, but facing some version of ourselves in these movies may inspire us to change ours.

Movies may also be so effective because they're so easily consumed, time-wise. A thought about violence and horror in Korean entertainment, when discussed from an American perspective: Korea's oldest and second-oldest generations still remember the Korean War, and its economic disruption. These things happened at home, not across an ocean. The enemies they were fighting live across an arbitrary border splitting their peninsula. Young men are required, and young women are allowed, to serve in Armed Forces. They're necessarily battle-ready. But there is a deeper historical tradition of being battle-ready. China has been trying to annex Korea for centuries. Japan, too. The ethos is fundamentally different from the American one, given America's two-hundred years gap experiencing wars and invasions fought at home.

Interesting, thank you. I would add that, philosophy and messages aside, the ideal of making visually beautifully films isn't lost on the filmmakers. The camera work and lighting are often of high quality, the latter a nod of respect to the craft of filmmaking, and also to the films' audiences.

excellent article. one of the best explanations of rage in contemporary asian films. if the rage in bong's earlier films like memories of murder and mother were in line with the kind of inexplicable rage that could be found in the s korean gangster noirs of the 90s, rage in parasite and the other recent korean movie, burning, are more elucidating, as you put it, as these movies are more allegorical of wealth inequality that accelerated during the period of neoliberalism imported by presidents lee myung bak and park geunhye. it remains seen which of the inexplicable rage of the 90s noir or the allegorically elucidating rage of recent movies will stand the test of time.

Nice premise. I've always believed that Confucius' concepts were a reaction to the precipitous decline of the Zhou and the rise of chaos from the ensuring Warring States Period.

Interesting but somewhat misplaced question. This article asks why "popular" East Asian films focus so much on "rage and revenge" when the question should be why such East Asian films are so popular with Western audiences. All the films listed here are so-called auteur films, approved, prized, and consumed by major Western cinematic institutions. There are countless East Asian films that do not express "rage" and that, I dare say, are actually wildly popular IN East Asia. Those kinds of films do not make it to U.S. or European markets--why is that? By not asking this key question, this article risks reinforcing the stereotype of repressed and enraged Asians hiding behind an obedient mask.

It seems weird (i.e., irresponsible and uneducated) for the author to say that Parasite's depiction of economic inequality is rooted in "ancient tenets" that the author seems to know nothing about and not on Western capitalism, as this seems more reasonable (but perhaps less palatable).

"But below the surface is a deeper rupture. These movies both reinforce certain Confucian values and simultaneously combat stereotypes about Asians: that they are obedient, dutiful, loyal, timid and fearful." And whose stereotypes would those be? Certainly not those of the home countries of the directors cited. It seems more than a bit Anglocentric and shortsighted to entertain the idea that Korean or Japanese directors are seeking to dispel stereotypes against "Asians". It's about as absurd as an American or Mexican director fighting against "North American" or "Western Hemispherean" stereotypes. These aren't the most popular movies in Korea or Japan, nor are they emblematic of the film industry in those countries. What films do have in common is that you like them and other Western film critics like them. These movies reveal much more about you and other tastemakers than they do about "Asia" as a whole.

Thank you for this enlightening article. Really looking forward to seeing these films.

This writer actually sat through "Parasite" and concluded that "none of the families involved are responsible for the inequality of the society"? This, when the rich man of the movie muses at length over whether his servants "cross the line" or whether they have unique smells? Turning this movie into an apolitical plea for understanding is preposterous. Korean audiences don't need to be advised of the deep rooted corruption in Korean society and Americans shouldn't either.

Insightful and interesting read.

Parasite was an EXCEPTIONAL film and I would highly recommend it. I appreciate this article for referencing diverse forms of art from South Asia. I will definitely be checking out Taeko Kōno's work.

Looking for hypotheses about origins of rage, are you? H1: The biggest cultural racket is ancestor worship. The old (including teachers) keep the young in total control in a hyper competitive environment (note the number of hours south Korean kids spend studying per day). Discovery that adults are fallible, likely produces rage. H2: Male dominated societies. Unacceptable levels of emotional and physical brutality toward women. Explains women's outrage. See KPop scene for evidence. H3: Presence of mono-cultures. You are not different, you are wrong. Explains everyone's outrage. H4: Men insecure about their masculinity. For evidence, if plastic was presented as an aphrodisiac, it would disappear from the ocean and landfills. Insecurity leads to powerlessness, leads to rage. H5: The extent to imperiousness, contempt and indifference the rich openly show toward the poor, and is accepted in the society - is a sight to behold. Everyone at the receiving end feels rage. IT is a long list. But for good theory to explain what you are seeking to emerge, these might be good starts.

Thank you for the wonderful article!

The thesis of this article is undermined by one simple fact: the movies cited are only those that Western critics and audiences have glorified and hyped. It fails to say anything meaningful about actual moviemaking or movie-watching trends in East Asia. The question in the headline should be: Why Does Rage Define the East Asian Movies Loved by the West? Look up the list of the most popular domestic films in Japan and Korea. You’d be hard pressed to see any evidence of this rage narrative, suggesting that the author was wrong that this theme resonates with each country’s audience. The most popular genre in each (animation and historical dramas, respectively) speaks for itself, but look how different their tastes are! With a few exceptions, Korean and Japanese movies have little appeal across the Sea of Japan. It’s another glaring flaw in the article, engaging in the fallacy of assuming that all East Asian cultures have a uniform monoculture. Pick a few nuggets of “Asian” culture that support your argument, throw in a couple of exotic Asian words (who cares which language?), and generalize thoroughly. Voila, another warmed-over narrative for mass consumption. For example, the author's vague reference to Confucius is an embarrassing attempt at a religious explanation. Japanese and Korean religion are about as similar to each other as that of Turkey and Greece. But this article clearly wasn't going to let facts get in the way of the broadest blanket statement possible.

There are echos of the atmospherics of Parasite in the films Shoplifters (Japan) and Burning (Korean). In fact, with the gratuitous grisly coda, Parasite seems to squander it's well constructed suspense and nuance in a very American blood bath capped off with a fantasy/dream bait&switch

I saw "Parasite" this weekend, and reading this article fleshed out some of the cultural issues I wasn't aware of. As a Chinese woman born in Hong Kong but raised in the US, I wonder what cinematic differences we would see if some of the filmmakers were women instead of men. From what I've read, generally men are more aggressive and we see this borne out by the many wars waged and started by men, the angry rhetoric of male leaders. Would there be as much rage and revenge from Asian women filmmakers? Do Asian women filmmakers get the same kind of support or breaks these men do? If Hollywood is any indication, I'd guess no, especially since Asian culture puts women down even more so than Western culture. Part of me understands the violence released by the revenge but apart from the shock of it, what is achieved? Does it make people of the lower classes feel better to see the elites punished and killed? Does it make the elites feel more empathetic to the hoi polloi? The answer is likely no on both. We see this from Trump and his ilk - they just circle the wagons and turn a blind eye to people in need while trying to enrich themselves more and more.

The writer appears to have only superficial knowledge of Japan, which is more rooted in Shinto and even Buddhist principles than with Confusianism, which is what distinguishes Japan from China and Korea. Convenient for her theory and her article, but not entirely correct.