Audiences Thought Bong Joon-Ho's 'Parasite' Was A Sci-Fi Film

Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” has garnered up a lot of attention and for those who haven’t seen it, questions remain about what the title could possibly mean. At first glance, “Parasite” sounds a lot like a creepy sci-fi or horror film, which is what many audience members thought prior to seeing the film, according to Joon-Ho.

Joon-Ho sat down for an interview Q&A for the home release (via Yahoo Entertainment) to discuss the film, where they got into the conversation about the “Parasite” title’s true meaning. Apparently, there was some initial confusion, as Joon-Ho previously directed the sci-fi monster horror “The Host,” a term typically associated with parasites.

“A lot of people in the international community mistook this film as a sci-fi film, particularly because I did “The Host”,” Joon-Ho said via a translator. “So it felt like a sequel to that film.”

The audience chuckled a bit just before the Oscar-winning filmmaker explained the title’s true meaning.

“Parasite” follows one impoverished family as they con their way into working with a wealthy family in order to live off of them. Instantly fans took this as they were parasites living off of the wealthy, but Joon-Ho clarified: “They can't even wash dishes, they can't drive themselves, so they leech off the poor family's labor. So both are parasites."

Both families are parasites since the rich family relied so heavily on the poor family to take care of them since they were so completely incapable of doing things on their own. “Parasite,” while not a sci-fi monster flick, is about a more subtly disturbing yet humorous symbiotic relationship between the wealthy and the impoverished.

Boon-Ho also called “Parasite” a little “risky and dangerous,” due to its title. Apparently, in South Korea, the term “Parasite” comes with a lot of negative connotations. Alas, it didn’t matter as “Parasite” is a massive success in his home country.

“Parasite” has 6 Academy Award nominations and is considered a strong contender to take home the “Best Picture” award.