02Murray SmithInterpretiveSample on Parasite (2019)
Structure of Sympathy
Example analysis of Parasite (2019), screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won. Shown for demonstration and commentary. It reads a finished film to show the format, so anything it flags may well be deliberate; on your own draft, treat each flag as a question.
Also on: Nope (2022)
The audience roots for all five, none of them strongly
How to read this
Murray Smith's three levels of engagement. Recognition: the audience can pick the character out and remember them. Alignment: we follow the story at their side and get into their head. Allegiance: we are on their side.
Each level is the model's estimate, given as a band. A level that is the same for every character is given once, under the rows. Select a row to follow that character through every panel; Esc clears it.
Allegiance is the same for all five:Moderate
Ki-Woo has the strongest presence of the five and is the main point of view. After his brain injury the voice-over keeps him close, but what he feels gets harder to read, and alignment passes to Ki-Tek and his life underground.
- Sc. 131, 74
Ki-Tek's murder of Dong-Ik in scene 131 is the most violent turn in the film, yet his allegiance line dips only slightly there; it falls further at scene 74, when the secret room is exposed. The film keeps him pitiable.
Ki-Jung gains the most sympathy by the end; Yon-Kyo loses the most
Allegiance by scene, 1–158
How to read this
One chart per character, all on the same scale and the same scenes, so their heights compare and a scene lines up down the column. Above the dashed neutral line the audience is on the character's side; below it, against them.
Dots are the scenes the analysis measured; the larger dot is the last. Ochre rings mark the shifts listed under the charts. A shaded band is the range of scenes picked elsewhere in the report. Select a name to follow that character through every panel.
- Sc. 13
Ki-Woo: sympathy rises as he cleverly secures the tutoring job and kisses Da-Hae.
- Sc. 74
Ki-Woo: sympathy slips when the secret room is exposed and the family's scam is revealed.
- Sc. 109
Ki-Woo: the audience stays with him as he despairs in the evacuation centre and clings to the viewing stone.
- Sc. 131
Ki-Jung: sympathy spikes when she is stabbed and dies in the garden.
- Sc. 131
Ki-Tek: sympathy dips only slightly after he murders Dong-Ik with the axe.
- Sc. 150
Ki-Tek: sympathy recovers slightly as he sends Morse code letters and mourns Ki-Jung.
Ki-Woo is seen from the inside, Yon-Kyo only from the outside
Ki-Woo knows what the audience knows. Sympathy holds, apart from a dip at scene 127, and ends sympathetic.
- Presence
- Strong
- Point of view
- Strong
- Inner life
- Strong
Recognition. Resourceful Wi-Fi hunter in the opening, immediately memorable. Charismatic impostor as tutor 'Kevin' with a pulse-taking technique. Carries the viewing stone as a symbolic gift and clings to it even after the flood.
Alignment. POV through his eyes in many scenes. Voice-over reveals his plans and inner thoughts. We witness his despair in the flood and evacuation centre.
Allegiance. 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.
Six moral cues that shape how we judge Ki-Woo
- Helps father with scams out of loyalty to his family.
- Defends family from the drunk man urinating on their window.
- Feels guilt and cannot bring himself to kill Mun-Kwang.
- Tries to rescue father by deciphering Morse code and making a plan.
- Cares for his sister Ki-Jung and grieves her death.
- Shows remorse and a desire to make things right after brain injury.
For the next draft
- Through Act Three the audience watches Ki-Tek's fall from outside, with little access to what he thinks, so the axe murder in scene 131 arrives as a shock rather than a decision. Do you want the audience to see the decision forming?
- Yon-Kyo never learns she was deceived, and her allegiance line sinks to its lowest in scene 131, the scene in which her husband is killed. Do you want the audience to feel for her at that moment?
Run Structure of Sympathy on your own draft.
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