Parasite Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rock

The "scholar's rock" is given to Ki-Woo by Min. Much discussion of the symbolism this object represents has occurred online and in print. Rocks resembling landscape features were thought to have adorned Confucious's desk, hence their association with scholars. In the movie, it may represent heavy responsibility or a hope for a more solid future, but it ends up serving as a weapon.

Player pusdoc had the heavy responsibility of writing this question for Phoenix Rising's Red Crew.

Answer: Park & Kim

The wealthy Park family is gradually infiltrated by the impoverished Kim family. The author/director notes that the movie's title has two meanings - the Kims have attached themselves to the Parks like a parasite, but the wealthy live parasitically off the work of their servants and employees.

Player pusdoc authored this question, she prefers to live symbiotically instead of parasitically.

Answer: Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho is a household name in Korea, making his film debut in "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" (1996) and claiming fame for his performances over the following years. Song won the Palme d'Or for Best Actor at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for his work on "Broker".

In "Parasite", Song plays the role of Kim Ki-taek, the father of the impoverished family, who is hired as a chauffeur to the wealthy family.

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90 drove this question into the quiz.

Answer: The former housekeeper's husband.

When the owners leave for a camping trip, the poor family take over the house, determined to enjoy the luxury for a short time. The previous house-keeper, Moon-gwang appears, with the excuse that she left something behind. In the basement is the hidden bunker where Moon-gwang's husband, Geun-sae, has been hiding from loan sharks for years. Blackmail ensues when the family members refuse to help keep Geun-Sae hidden, so Moon-gwang threatens to disclose the ruse to the wealthy owners.

Little clues troughout the movie hint to the presence of an unknown houseguest. First, Moon-gwang stayed on at the house after the first owner, Namgoon, left. Later, Mr Parkes thinks she eats enough for two people.

The question was revealed by Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90, whose home doesn't have a basement, let alone something as cool as a hidden room.

Answer: Bong Joon Ho

Bong Joon Ho was born in 1961 in Daegu, in the southeast of South Korea. Most well known for his successes as a director, he has also worked as a lighting technician and cinematographer. The film "Parasite" became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award nominations, winning four.

mike32768 of Phoenix Rising wanted desperately to avoid being a leech and so directly supported his Red Team's quiz making with this question.

Answer: Peaches

Moon-gwang is allergic to peaches. The poor family has a goal to replace each worker at the wealthy family's residence. Moon-gwang's allergic reaction to peaches convinces the wealthy matriarch that the housekeeper has tuberculosis. She is then replaced with Chung-sook, the maternal figure in the impoverished family.

This question is brought to you by the peach-loving jaknginger of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew.

Answer: Ki-Woo, English tutor

Ki-Woo's family is not very prosperous, but they are creative in their scheming. Ki-Woo's friend, Min-hyuk, encourages Ki-Woo to pose as a university student. Ki-Woo is successfully hired as an English tutor for Da-hye, the daughter of the wealthy family. He is the first to invade the wealthy family's network.

Jaknginger has 'Parasite' on her must-watch thriller list.

Answer: Long flight of stairs

It is raining heavily when Mr Kim and his two children flee the Park house after the family arrive home unexpectedly. They are seen going down a very long flight of stairs before entering a tunnel. The stairs shown in the movie lead to the Jahamun Tunnel in Seoul, which is also seen, and has become a must-visit place for "Parasite" fans.

Descending the stairs is a symbolic way of reinforcing the divide between the wealthy Park family and the impoverished Kims. Further accentuating this is the rain causes the sewerage to back up and overflow into the street. The sewerage-laden rainwater then floods the Kim's basement home.

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90 would rather traverse a lift than those stairs, especially in the rain!

Answer: Namgoong Heonja

When Kim Ki-woo arrives at the Park house for an interview, the housekeeper, Moon-gwang, tells him it was designed by the architect Namgoong who had lived there before the Parks. We later find out that Moon-gwang was Namgoong's housekeeper and stayed on at the house after he left.

Lee needed to make the house look architect-drawn, but he is a production designer, not an architect. With just a floor plan given to him by the director, he gained inspiration from friends, visiting houses in Seoul, and by using his son's Lego to help him plan the look. As a production designer he was also needing to incorporate suitable areas for filming. The resulting 'house' was a collection of sound stages showcasing minimalist design with an emphasis on glass and garden views.

The incorrect answers are real-life architects.

Red Crew's smpdit never managed to build anything realistic with Lego, and much preferred gingerbread as a building medium.

Answer: Jung Jae-il

Jung Jae-il is a South Korean musician who plays a variety of instruments and has been in several bands. He graduated from the Seoul Jazz Academy and at the Korean Music Awards, won Best New Artist in 2004. He composed his first film score for "Bad Movie" in 1997. His score for "Parasite" needed to reflect the tense atmosphere of the movie, so he used minimalist piano pieces with percussion as key notes. He also used excerpts from Handel's "Rodelinda" opera.

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90 scored this question