Bong Joon-ho’s award winning film “Parasite” is a clever take on the class divide, depicted by two families in the film: the poor Kims and the wealthy Parks. For those who have seen Parasite, you’ll know that the juxtaposition of the two families is shown in many ways but one of the most obvious signs is in their homes.
While the Kims live in a semi basement home littered with trash, the Parks live in a mansion on top of a hill. But did you know that Bong and his production design team built the Parks’ house and every detail from scratch specifically for the film? The furniture and house appliances were all meticulously picked out in order to create a sleek and minimalist aesthetic, including a trash can that costs $2300.
Bong Joon-ho picked the trash can because it opened smoothly and doesn’t make any noise, but he was still baffled by the cost saying, “The trash can cost like $2,300! It was German. Me and my crew members were like: ‘What the f**k? What kind of idiot would buy a trash can that’s going to smell anyway?” But it’s still pretty fitting how such a pricey trash can belonged to the Park residence. After all, the film is about the stark contrast between social classes and what better way to nail that idea in than by making such a simple household item be worth $2300 dollars.
The pricey trashcan is featured in this brilliant montage scene, check it out below!
