Exactly at the midpoint of Parasite, the great plot twist of the film happens. When it seems the dust has finally settled from that twist and the Kim family were taking a few breaths of relief, Mrs. Kim receives a phone call. It's Mrs. Park, the house owner. She says to boil the water for Ramdon(a Korean food), as the timing will be perfect. 8 minutes. They are not going on a vacation anymore because of the rain. They are returning back.
Only 8 minutes.
The Kim family were already troubled and just collecting their breaths after encountering the plot-twist-characters. Now they had to flee immediately from the Park’s house, and in total silence. It’s raining heavily outside. They nearly got caught in the process, but all of their luck chose to be spent here. If they had got caught, it would have been a disaster.
As they run outside in the heavy rain, all soaked down and wretched, and come down the stairs, Ki-woo, the son of the Kim family, says smilingly, “I have been wondering what Min would do in this situation.” Then the sister, who was asking her father about the plan they should now follow, replies irritatingly and angrily, that Min wouldn't be in this situation.
Joseph Campbell, one of the most influential figures in storytelling and mythologies, has proposed four functions mythologies have on society. And one of those functions is “The Psychological Function.” The most personal of the four. It means teaching individuals how to live their life, how to react to things happening in their own lives by learning from stories. It's not strange for characters—in fact, it's a necessity, to have our thoughts, our questions. In Parasite, when the son asked, “What would Min do in this situation?”, I felt so seen. This is my question, word by word, and I have never heard it in any movies except Parasite.
A similar question, though, gets asked in every single movie when a character has to go through some hardship. It's “Why me?” It's similar, somewhat like siblings, but this question is not as imaginative as the former. “Why me?” could have a definite answer, like, “Life is unfair, that's why.” Or, “You are the chosen one.” Or “Someone has to do it, it's just that it's you.” But “What would he do if he were in this position?” is a different story. It invites imagination, insecurities, and an even deeper sense of despair.
In the movie, Min is a friend of Ki-woo. Min is rich, has a rich and cute girlfriend, and is going abroad for further studies. It's clear why the son, Ki-woo, put Min as the subject of the question. Ki-woo admires Min and envies him.
In my case, when I ask myself, “What would they do in this situation?”, these “they” are the people I simply admire and think about, those I envy a little bit. Sometimes it's a girl that I could not level my eyes with. What would she do with her smart head and beautiful face? Sometimes it's an extrovert friend who is liked by all, who gets along anywhere easily. Sometimes it's some relative. Sometimes someone famous, like a movie star or a singer.
I simply play this thought in my head. But no one does anything. I can't think of anything they would do. But I have a belief they would be better than me.
The rise of this question is fueled by many factors. It's primarily because of my insecurities, of course, the belief that I am weak and totally unable and doing poorly, that my actions are dull and childish. That I do not have any plan to solve the problem. And there is some secret key that just fits, and it's not up to me to find this key. But these people, these “they” will, because they are beautiful, smart, and better overall.
What I do know is that “they” are the people that I want to impress. Not directly, but in some indirect way, some “Ohh…so he has become this successful! I kinda feel jealous of him.” I want them to Google my name and stare at it and read my Wikipedia page. I want some regret and defeat to lurk inside their body whenever they hear my name. I want them to feel intimidated by me, defeated by me, although there never has been a competition between us. This isn’t always the case though. Sometimes I put a person from the past as the subject. “What would they do with their wisdom if they were here? What would be their judgment?” Sometimes, a fictional character. What would Peter Parker do if he were here? Or, what would Superman do? Would he just fly away, get a new identity and start his new life far, far away, and never come back?
Then out of all wondering and musings, from some corner of the brain, comes a positive thought. “This is happening to you because you are strong. Problems come to those who are worthy. And if other people were here, they wouldn’t solve the situation. They would complicate it even further. They may be better in ways you are not, but to solve this particular problem, only you are capable, no one else.” This sounds like an answer to “Why me?” So a better answer, a truer answer to “What would they do if they were here?” is “They would do worse if they were here.”
But of course, we can't accept that they would be bad if they were here. We know they won't. It seems the task of the brain is to only put forward questions like these and not seek answers. Depress us further and make us feel weaker. Because we are big fans of self-hate and self-criticism. But maybe our brain doesn't wander anywhere looking for answers, because it already knows the perfect answer deep down and only waits for us to accept it. That “they” are not made for this, and so, they don't need to do anything, whether good or bad. It doesn't matter.
In Parasite, the sister is the smartest of the Kim family. And maybe that’s why she can say in an instant, with irritation, that Min would never be in this situation. She knows it’s a stupid question and wondering about it is a waste of time. Instead, they should try to come up with an effective plan. It's their fate. They're alone. There is no place to complain about it and no one to listen to their wailing. And it's the same with us. We are alone. But one cannot deny the false pleasure of diverting our mind a bit and wondering about the possibilities, although one already knows the answer.
What would they do if they were here?
