On this week’s Movies vs. Capitalism, Rivka and Frank are joined by political commentator Jessica Burbank to discuss Bong Joon-Ho’s 2019 masterpiece Parasite. In the midst of increasing wealth inequality and rising poverty across the planet, it’s no surprise that this film — a violent parable about class conflict — became a cultural phenomenon. The group digs into the themes of class relations, failed solidarity, and elitism that run through the film’s complicated social dynamics. They also break down how the film uses “the smell” as a perfect metaphor for working class disdain, why being stinky in real life is actually a good thing, and how the film gave us one of our greatest modern memes. For next week’s episode, the group will be discussing the series finale of Succession. This podcast relies on listeners like you to keep the show going: Go to MVCpod.com to become a supporter or leave us a tip. Supporters will also get access to The Lever’s premium content, including their exclusive newsletters, private podcast feed, e-books, and live events. MVC strives to practice its values as anti-capitalist media and will not be selling traditional advertisements. Instead, we will be donating our ad space to progressive or leftist causes. If you’re part of an advocacy organization, mutual-aid group, a worker co-op, a political campaign, or some other org, and you are interested in promoting your work on MVC, you can email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com.Follow us on Instagram and TikTok.You can also watch our full episodes on YouTube.A rough transcript of the episode is available here.Produced by The LeverArtwork by Rufus Paisley
You can find the Josephine Herrick Project at jhproject.org