Structure of Sympathy Example Report
Example analysis of Parasite (2019) — screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won. Shown for demonstration and commentary.
Primary Alignment
Ki-Woo
Whose POV the audience shares most
Allegiance Shifts
6
First: Scene 13
Characters Profiled
5
Murray Smith engagement model
Engagement Radar
Allegiance Trajectory — Audience Sympathy Over Time
Cumulative sympathy per character across the script, from antipathy (bottom) to full sympathy (top).
Character Explorer
Stable arc Knows what we knowAllegiance 60 → 70
Recognition
90%
Presence
90%
POV Dominance
85%
Subjective Access
75%
Recognition Notes
- • Resourceful Wi-Fi hunter in the opening, immediately memorable
- • Charismatic impostor as tutor 'Kevin' with a pulse-taking technique
- • Carries the suiseki stone as a symbolic gift, clinging to it even after the flood
Alignment Notes
- • POV through his eyes in many scenes
- • Voice-over reveals his plans and inner thoughts
- • We witness his despair in the flood and evacuation center
Allegiance Notes
- • Rootable underdog striving for family's survival
- • His romance with Da-Hae adds charm and humanity
- • His violent attempt on Mun-Kwang is a dark turn that tests allegiance
Moral Cues Detected
Helps father with scams out of loyalty to his familyDefends family from the drunk man urinating on their windowFeels guilt and cannot bring himself to kill Mun-KwangTries to rescue father by deciphering Morse code and making a planCares for his sister Ki-Jung and grieves her deathShows remorse and a desire to make things right after brain injury
Engagement Insights
- ↯Scene 13 · sympathy rises as he cleverly secures the tutoring job and kisses Da-Hae
- ↯Scene 74 · sympathy drops sharply when the secret room is exposed and the family's scam is revealed
- ↯Scene 131 · sympathy spikes dramatically when she is stabbed and dies in the garden
- ↯Scene 131 · sympathy drops steeply after he murders Dong-Ik with the axe
- ↯Scene 109 · sympathy rises as he despairs in the evacuation center, clinging to the stone
- ↯Scene 150 · sympathy recovers slightly as he sends Morse code letters and mourns Ki-Jung
- →Ki-Woo is present in over 70% of scenes but becomes opaque after his brain injury, shifting alignment to Ki-Tek's underground plight.
- →Ki-Tek's murder of Dong-Ik is the sharpest allegiance reversal, transforming a sympathetic father into a killer, yet the film keeps him pitiable.
- ✎Suggestion: Increase subjective access to Ki-Tek in the final act, using voice-over or hallucinations to deepen the tragedy of his fall.
- ✎Suggestion: Add a scene where Yon-Kyo realizes the Kims' deception, giving her a moment of agency that would elevate her allegiance arc.