The Social Issues of South Korean Director Bong Joon-Ho’s Film “Parasite” in the Context of Metamodernism

The purpose of this article is to analyze the ideas and meanings of South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s film Parasite in the context of contemporary social issues and the stylistics of metamodernism. Concepts of such critics of capitalism as M. Serres, Z. Bauman, M. Mann, and others are used as a theoretical basis for studying social issues. To understand how effectively the film addresses the social issues, the author turned to D. Bordwell’s film analysis theory, which focuses on two main aspects of cinema: form and style. Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite is characterized from the perspective of metamodernism, whose theorists focus on the emergence of a new artistic language capable of expressing contemporary reality in artistic form, as well as the need to incorporate this language into a new cultural landscape. The analysis of Parasite was based on a content analysis using elements of H. Korte’s systemic analysis, a review of interviews with director Bong Joon-Ho, reviews by Russian and international film critics, and audience feedback. The article concludes that the analyzed South Korean film promotes social change. Such films highlight fundamental universal ideas and values relatable to everyone, regardless of location or social status, and provoke reflection on the essence of the modern world order. At the same time, the director has managed to maintain a fine line between the seriousness of modernism and the irony of postmodernism, which is expressed in a metamodernist style. All of this contributes to the popularity of South Korean cinema among film critics and experts, as well as audiences worldwide.

1. Tangalycheva R.K. Youth Problems in South Korean Cinema (on the Material of Lee Chang-Don’s Film “Burning”), Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Sotsiologiya [Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology], 2022, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 155—171. DOI: 10.21638/spbu12.2022.204 (in Russ.).

2. Tangalycheva R.K. Feminist Wave in South Korean Women’s Cinema, Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ehkonomicheskie i sotsial’nye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes], 2023, no. 3 (175), pp. 259—278. DOI: 10.14515/monitoring.2023.3.2333 (in Russ.).

3. Tangalycheva R.K. Sociological Analysis of the Korean Film “Train to Busan”: A Scenario for the Future of Modern Society, Sociological Problems, 2019, vol. 51, special issue 2, pp. 425—441.

4. Botz-Bornstein T., Stamatellos G. (eds.) Parasite: A Philosophical Exploration. Leiden, Boston, Brill Publ., 2022, 224 p.

5. Serres M. The Parasite. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press Publ., 2007, 255 p.

6. Bauman Z. Globalization: The Human Consequences. Moscow, Ves’ Mir Publ., 2004, 185 p. (in Russ.).

7. Bauman Z. The Individualized Society. Moscow, Logos Publ., 2005, 390 p. (in Russ.).

8. Bauman Z. Liquid Modernity. Moscow, Piter Publ., 2008, 238 p. (in Russ.).

9. Bauman Z. Retrotopia. Moscow, Vserossiiskii Tsentr Izucheniya Obshchestvennogo Mneniya Publ., 2019, 156 p. (in Russ.).

10. Bordwell D., Thompson K., Smith J. Film Art: An Introduction. Moscow, Bombora: Ehksmo Publ., 2024, 653 p. (in Russ.).

11. Vermeulen T., Akker R. van den. Notes on Metamodernism METAMODERN: zhurnal o metamodernizme [METAMODERN: A Journal of Metamodernism]. Available at: https://metamodernizm.ru/notes-on-metamodernism/(accessed 19.03.2026) (in Russ.).

12. Akker R. van den., Gibbons A., Vermeulen T. Metamodernism: Historicity, Affect, and Depth After Postmodernism. Moscow, RIPOL Klassik Publ., 2020, 340 p. (in Russ.).

13. Korte H. An Introduction to Systematic Film Analysis. Moscow, Vysshaya Shkola Ehkonomiki Publ., 2018, 355 p. (in Russ.).

14. Tangalycheva R.K. (ed.) Modernizatsiya Korei: politika, ehkonomika, obshchestvo, kul’tura: kollektivnaya monografiya [Modernization of Korea: Politics, Economy, Society, Culture: collective monograph]. Moscow, Vserossiiskii Tsentr Izucheniya Obshchestvennogo Mneniya Publ., 2022, 369 p.

15. Wallerstein I., Collins R., Mann M., Derluguian G., Calhoun C. Does Capitalism Have a Future? Moscow, Izd-vo Instituta Gaidara, 2015, 316 p. (in Russ.).

16. Piskarev P.M. Homo Beatus as a Metamodern Person, Vlast’ i obshchestvo [Power and Society], 2019, no. 8 (8), pp. 4—12. DOI: 10.32743/2658-4077.2019.8.8.174 (in Russ.).

17. Moskvitin E. Bong Joon-Ho on the Film “Parasite”, Class Inequality, and Why It’s Better to Watch Movies in Theaters, Pravila Zhizni, 2019, July 4. Available at: https://www.pravilamag.ru/entertainment/109722-pon-chzhun-ho-o-filme-parazity-klassovom-neravenstve-i-o-tom-pochemu-kino-luchshe-smotret-v-kinoteatrah/ (accessed 19.03.2026) (in Russ.).

18. Huntington S.P. The Clash of Civilizations. Moscow, AST Publ., 2003, 603 p. (in Russ.).