Hollie Hughes

Any first generation Korean millennial will tell you that their parents have all kinds of stories about being poor. Growing up, I passed off my dad's stories as mostly a gimmick to get me to not be picky about food or study hard or whatever. 4/13

It wasn’t until learning more about Korea’s history, that I began to understand the unique relationship that the Korean nation has with poverty. I’m no historian, but it was only in recent decades through rapid industrialization that Korea became as tech-savvy as it is now. 5/13

In spite of all their history of oppressive poverty, I feel that it’s pretty well known Koreans are a notoriously proud people, always taking every opportunity to boast about other Korean’s accomplishments as if they were related. My dad did that a LOT. 6/13

That being said, my dad (a very humble, compassionate, hard-working person) instilled in me three values growing up: 1. Humility 2. Helping Others 3. Working hard. But a fourth value that underpinned all of those was a deep sense of pride to be Korean. 7/13

Even in our most desititute circumstances, my dad would speak in very regal tones like the dad in Parasite, especially at the beginning. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s almost as if every Korean dad talks like a king in their own house. Or basement. Or attic. 8/13

I think this can be attributed to how powerful the sense of pride in Korean culture is, even in the midst even in poverty or in the midst of great adversity. This theme flows throughout the whole film and I think it explains much of what motivates the Kim family’s actions. 9/13

I remember sitting in the theater with my jaw on the floor (like everyone in the audience), but not because of the shocking things that were happening on-screen. I couldn’t believe that I was watching a film that was encapsulating the uniqueness of Korean pride in poverty. 10/13

Obviously my dad and I never did anything as crazy as in Parasite. And of course the film shows these themes in a fantastical extreme. But in its subtler moments, Parasite represented parts of my story on-screen. 11/13