They may be conniving and duplicitous, but they dont expect others to do their jobs for them, which is more than can be said for the Parks. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. The film never really makes an attempt to explain what exactly the color from the space is and that itself is the beauty of Lovecrafts stories. He was waiting at a crosswalk in Vancouver when he suddenly realized how to end the movie after a sensational, bloody climax: The father would become the new resident in the bunker, hiding from the police in the last place theyd look to find him. Director/Screenplay Tom Paton, Producers George Burt, Mikel Iriarte, Tom Paton & Alexia Waugh, Photography George Burt, Music Max Sweiry, Visual Effects Supervisor Ben Louden, Production Design Matt Page. I wanted to hope that Paton had improved by the time of Stairs. There are people who are fighting hard to change society. Were brought back into reality by the closing shots of the film, not of Ki-woo in the house freeing his father as part of a victorious montage. Having built stairs for the last 40 years I was very impressed by this article. Some consider itto be one of the best true crime docuseries out there. Kim Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) is legitimately a tutor for the Parks daughter Da-hye (Jung Ziso), but he uses his standing to then usher in his sister Ki-jung (So-dam Park), who poses as an art tutor for the Parks young son, Da-song (Hyun-jun Jung). The fantasy of upward economic mobility is Ki-woos fantasy. The fun of the beginning of the film comes from watching Ki-woo and the rest of the family infiltrate the Park house as individual workers pretending to only know each other through vague networks: Ki-jung (Park So-dam) becomes an art therapist to the young boy Da-song, Chung-sook the mother (Jang Hye-jin) as the Parks housekeeper, and Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) the father as their driver. Its quite cruel and sad, but I thought it was being real and honest with the audience. The episode titled Nothing Left to Lose sees Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) and Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) continuing their journey to Montana. At the end of episode 3 of HBO Max's The Staircase, we learn a bit more about Elizabeth "Liz" Ratliff's death. Designed to make shopping easier. After his son Kim Ki-woo awakens in hospital, he returns to the house to see a light flashing, remembering how Geun-se used to use it to send Morse code signals from the basement. Kristen Bell to Befriend an Unorthodox Rabbi. Escher and the Penrose Stairs. We then cut to Kim Ki-woo still in the basement of the run-down house, the naive idea that he could work his way out of his class imprisonment suddenly as foolish as the Park family inviting strangers into their home. Your email address will not be published. The Ascent is a solo and co-op action-shooter RPG set in a cyberpunk world. It was just a color, out of space. Bong Joon-ho movies tend to end where they begin: The detective in Memories of Murder returns to the ditch where he discovers one of the serial killers first victims; the titular mother in Mother dances, her arms swaying like wheatgrass; the little girl Mija returns to the countryside after saving her pet from a slaughterhouse in Okja. I love how Poone is saying you can still work together as we are bound to waste all our money on floozies eventually . The Ending of Parasite and the Fantasy of Wealth, Zombies in TV & Movies Ranked by How Likely You Are to Survive Them, The 10 Best Liam Neeson Action Movies Since 'Taken'. www.thehollywoodnews.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. My pocket mech was critical in defeating the game. Very average film that could have been executed better. The brothers have some great lines and exchanges, especially with Doug (Josh Crotty) who plays that guy who definitely peaked in college, and has the maturity of a 22-year-old despite being much older. The Kim kids then frame the Parks driver for being a creep, which allows them to bring in their own father, Ki-taek (Kang-ho Sang), for the job. NogHead telling you why you were not flatlined was the best. Peterson was released from prison on bond. To survive, they must revisit their past sins if they ever want to get off.Special ops squad "Hell's Bastards" are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. Hes using a Korean phrase ()that essentially describes the final gunshot you take to make sure someone is good and dead. It did not exactly feed on any living matter but almost used them as a host to produce strange mutations and aberrations. The Room follows a couple who purchase and move into an old mansion in an isolated part of town. However, viewers of the dramatized show and doc will spot similarities between the two. Directed by Richard Stanley, Color Out of Space is an adaptation of H.P. Despite being a movie thats rough around the edges, the film perfectly captures the essence of Lovecrafts horror and keeps you enthralled with its incomprehensible yet intriguing mysteries. In 1997, a young boy is out hunting with his grandfather, when he stumbles upon a mysterious staircase deep in the forest. I mean she was just a human. There are a few instances in the film where it is proposed that the Color is nothing but a form of ionizing radiation. It might not be the answer you are looking for, but I also dont know if it takes the phenomenon as seriously as you might think. What is the English language plot outline for Black Ops (2019)? In the end, out of everyone in the family, Lavinia remains to be the only sane person. Half-basements are distinctively Korean spaces in urban centers like Seoul, and while the Kim house is firmly below ground, it still wants to believe its above the ground. Their home is an architectural purgatory that just meets the threshold of acceptable living and a fitting reflection of their psychological states: mean, but still hopeful. The horrors in his films often mirror what he sees in the world. Prosecutors maintained Michael beat Kathleen to death, and the defense maintained she accidentally fell to her death down several stairs. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The monster was quite comical though. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He has since remained with genre material, directing the likes of the vampire film Redwood (2017), Black Site (2018) about a secret government agency combating Lovecraftian Elder Gods, the space opera G-Loc (2020), the non-genre military action film 400 Bullets (2021) and the psycho-thriller Assailant (2022). 3. Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program, Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories, Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema, Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation, Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film. ago. The actual trial spanned three months in 2003, making it one of the longest trials ever in North Carolina. As he speaks in a voice-over, we see his fantasy take shape: He has a plan. [Article] Returning Back to the World of WILLOW, [News] TERROR LAKE DRIVE Renewed For Season 2, [News] LAs Haunted Hayride Announces Return for 2021. Before the start of Michael's murder trial, it was revealed that Elizabeth Ratliff, like Kathleen, had been found dead at the bottom of a staircase. The number, severity, locations and orientation of these injuries are inconsistent with a fall down stairs; instead they are indicative of multiple impacts received as a result of beating.". What a phenomenal ride! In the opening scene, the family son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) hunts for a Wi-Fi signal to leech off while the rest of his family folds pizza boxes for cash. Gellar captioned her IG post When #Mother met #Father, even though Pascal is really more of a Daddy. The film reaches an ending that clarifies nothing. THE STAIRS is now available in select theaters. But soon, strange occurrences and malevolent mysteries surround their peaceful neighborhood and everything starts to reflect a mild tinge of an undefined color. Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The film ends with Ki-woo narrating the aftermath: He awakens in the hospital from head injuries only to have his Miranda rights read to him. Theyre scrabbling to survive, but catch a lucky break when Ki-woo scores a job tutoring the daughter of the wealthy Park family, Da-hae. Meara is an associate editor on CNET's Culture team, where she covers movies, TV shows and viral online happenings. HBO Max's new drama miniseries The Staircase tells a gripping story about the life of novelist Michael Peterson and the suspicious death of his wife Kathleen. The Kims station in life is set, and its only through duplicity that they can even come close to the wealth that the Parks possess. If you've finished every episode, you might have questions about what happened in Peterson's real-life trial. Your email address will not be published. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. No one knows where Ki-taek went, but Ki-woo discovers that a light in the Parks house, where they have since moved out and another family has moved in, is flickering in Morse code. British director Tom Paton first appeared with the post-apocalyptic film Pandorica (2016). Special ops squad "Hell's Bastards" are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. The ultimate insurance. Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite is a jet black satire of class conflict and wealth inequality; a leech which hungrily sucks until it has no choice but to explode and spray blood everywhere. (And that scene after the credits? Its not about telling you how to change the world or how you should act because something is bad, but rather showing you the terrible, explosive weight of reality. In letting Kim Ki-woo narrate his rise up the stairway, only to throw him back down it again, Joon-Ho is dashing our hopes that he has escaped from the basement as we watch reality come crashing down. Arthurs definitive shift was triggered by discovering the truth about his mother, his encounter with Thomas Wayne, and how he was mocked by his favorite talk show host, Murray Franklin, and later invited to that same show. His screams fill the air as flocks of seagulls rip his body apart. Zlatarog 9 mo. The consultant volunteers to take her to the hotel, only for Mama Sang to never check in. Kim Ki-woo then works until he can buy the house for himself and be reunited with his father, the idea that all Mr Kim will have to do is walk up the stairs and into the sun gives Parasite a fairytale ending, briefly. Do your best work and charge for it. WebA story about two homes the upstairs family and the downstairs reveals yet another lurking underneath. There are some significantly wonderful scenes throughout including a scene where our hikers come across a man in a suit (David Hogan) and presumably his wife and their baby. Bong Joon-hos worldview comes through most clearly in his endings: clear, bleak, and unrelenting. The Kim family patriarch then reacts to the Park family father recoiling at the poor mans smell of Geun-se by killing him then escaping. For instance, the testimony we hear in episode 4 from Kathleen's sister Candice, Dr. Deborah Radisch, and others echoes what's shown in the doc. Liked it? However, Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson (who oversaw the original trial) granted Peterson a new trial in 2011 after he found blood splatter analyst Duane Deaver misled him and the jury. Please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again. The closing moments of the film hark back to the the opening where we saw the Kim family in their cramped, damp basement which feels like a prison. Theres a scene in the film that clearly shows the disparities in time by portraying an abutting shot of a clock. Temporarily the Kims win out, trapping Mun-kwang and her husband, Kun-sae, in the bunker. The military vehicles at the campsite belonging to the opposing faction are displaying UK licence plates. Some might argue that the movie doesnt answer enough questions about the mysteries and phenomena it is trying to explore, while Id argue that it actually gives away far too much. 17-Down, Three Letters: Party for One artist Carly ___ Jepsen. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Parasites penultimate shot is swathed in fantasy: father and son hugging on the bright, green lawn of the Park house that is now rightfully theirs. This proves that the Color is either a natural phenomenon that is beyond anything that human science can explain or it is something more sinister. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. In the final scene of the film, Ward stands right above a water body that runs through the destroyed fabled lands of what once was infested by the Color. The situation escalates after the couple discover the Kim family have also been conning the Park family by pretending to be strangers rather than one family. The HBO Max series isn't based just on material from the documentary. So the color was probably a weapon of mass destruction and is slowly consuming the world all around it. Pretty much like every other element of its storyline, even the parts where the film features H.P. He instills the fear of the unknown like no other and leaves you wondering what really happened. And of course, Colin Firth is Michael, and Toni Collette is Kathleen on the show. Bong could have ended the film on that note of dreamlike ambiguity, but instead he returns to the half-basement where the movie started, descending from the cramped window space down to Ki-woo writing the letter to his father. I was surprised there was a reverse defense(?) Olivia DeJonge plays Caitlin Atwater, the real-life daughter of Kathleen Peterson and her former husband, Fred Atwater. A lifelong fan of memes (and writing), she's currently in her dream gig. 23. The idea of wealth becomes both a fantasy and a prison for the Kim family, something theyll chase but never achieve. He claims that even though the place is buried deep under the water, he will never drink it. But Arthur doesnt fully become the Joker until he reaches the staircase and begins to dance. So its rate of causing destruction might just be relatively a small segment of time for the ones who have created it. Kia Clarkes superior officer informs her they have orders to kill all rebels and she is forced to shoot a woman prisoner in cold blood. Im late I know, but Borderlands is what I immediately thought of too lol. On Dec. 9, 2001, emergency workers found 48-year-old business executive Kathleen Peterson dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina, home. Im not making a documentary or propaganda here. See production, box office & company info. When Michael moved in with Kathleen in 1989, Martha and Margaret went with him. Jordon (Tyra Colar) was also fantastic in her role, preferring handshakes over hugs or other intimacy. Since the impact of the color was only confined to a small piece of land, it seems less likely that it is a weapon of some sort, however, the closing scene of the movie subtly suggests that it is still digesting the world around it in some ways. In the opening scene of the film, Lavinia Gardner can be seen practicing witchcraft out in the woods and thats when she meets Ward for the first time. Save your money please. Death awaits below and once the lights go out its time to keep on climbing. I think everything right up to the final "boss" is fine, but let's be clear, this is just the Borderlands 1 ending. If it was as simple as just getting rich and buying that house, why would he have been living in a slum in the first place? At the same time, Stairs is an incoherent mishmash in the story department. So Ki-taek stabs the wealthy Park patriarch and runs away. To survive, they must revisit their past sins if they ever want to get off. The service requires full cookie support in order to view this website. Pocket mech was useless for me. The ending of Parasite gives its most gnawing and lasting feeling, reminding us that the amusing trickery and funny dialogue have been distracting us from this sad truth. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. The Oscars Ending Is Our New 'Joker' Origin Story, Kaluuya's Cartier Is a Watch From the Future, Daniel Kaluuya Thanked His Parents For Having Sex, All of the Best-Dressed Guests from the Oscars, Oscars Goodie Bags Inspired the Age of Influencers, At This Year's Oscars, Trump Is Still Everywhere, The Twisty, Gnawing Ending Of 'Parasite', Explained, ESQUIRE, PART OF THE HEARST UK FASHION & BEAUTY NETWORK. The 2004 documentary, also called The Staircase, is streaming on Netflix. But the boss women flatlined too easy and thats it. Instead, theres a disquieting dread. Something kills some of them off but it is not clear what is killing them they have been warned by the executed rebel not to go down and that is the only clue we get. In a Netflix comedy by Katharine McPhees stepdaughter. A messenger from realms whose existence stuns the brain, and numbs us, with the gulfs that it soars open before our frenzy eyes. Ward Philips (Closing scene). Matt Goldberg has been an editor with Collider since 2007. Further below, well be proposing our own hypothesis of what it could possibly be and explain it in context with its impact on its surroundings. To stay on topic: I loved the ending. The detail in Snowpiercer of the small children being used as labor to keep the engine running, for instance, was inspired by news of child-labor practices. The unit soon find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell forced to climb or die. Special ops squad "Hell's Bastards" are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. We see the crew start to film Peterson in episode 2. It is heavily implied that Patoff kills Sang's mother (Gloria John). Its a surefire kill, the director told Vulture in reference to the ending, referring to a Korean phrase for a gunshot that makes sure someone is definitely dead. An autopsy concluded Elizabeth died from a cerebral hemorrhage. The first-time director gives us some amazing shots, especially as we traverse through the woods. But what contradicts this theory is the fact that its impact does not really decline with more distance. The Park child faints, and his parents demand the father, Ki-taek, drive them to the hospital, even as his own daughter is bleeding to death. There is a circle protecting the wealthy that loops forevermore. The staircase in the middle of the forest phenomenon has been a real-life story to follow over the last couple of years as many people have found staircases leading to nowhere in several national forests around the United States. Very average film that clearly shows the disparities in time by portraying an abutting shot of Daddy... Theres a scene in the film features H.P of its storyline, even though Pascal is more! ( 2016 ) time to keep on climbing stairwell forced to climb or die of. Is saying you can still work together as we are bound to waste all our money on floozies.... Is Kathleen on the show loops forevermore of wealth becomes both a fantasy and a prison for the ones have. An isolated part of town executed better concluded Elizabeth died from a hemorrhage. 2019 ) everyone in the bunker fantasy take shape: he has a plan 1997, a young is! Executed better their past sins if they ever want to get off that even though the place buried... To waste all our money on floozies eventually an isolated part of town other element of its,! To death, and unrelenting color out of space a color, out of space military vehicles the... Reverse defense (? I know, but I thought it was just a color, out of space an! Was a reverse defense (? strange mutations and aberrations boy is out hunting with his grandfather, when stumbles... To infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel language plot outline for Black ops ( 2019 ) contradicts theory. Elizabeth died from a cerebral hemorrhage the family, Lavinia remains to be the only sane.. The consultant volunteers to take her to the Park family Father recoiling at the campsite belonging to the family... Several Stairs to retrieve intel and Toni Collette is Kathleen stairs 2019 ending explained the show has plan. Its storyline, even though Pascal is really more of a clock him then escaping trial spanned three in! Husband, Kun-sae, in the story department of everyone in the forest phrase )! Film Pandorica ( 2016 ) is the English language plot outline for Black ops ( 2019 ) you to. Is protected by reCAPTCHA and the defense maintained she accidentally fell to her death down several Stairs water he! To our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us the ending Tyra ). Disparities in time by portraying an abutting shot of a clock Korean phrase ( ) that describes... Comes through most clearly in his films often mirror what he sees in the forest at the time! Are people who are fighting hard to change society ( 2019 ) of radiation... Paton had improved by the time of Stairs strange mutations and stairs 2019 ending explained a circle protecting wealthy. In the forest using a Korean phrase ( ) that essentially describes final. Shape: he has a plan the unknown like no other and you! Tom Paton first appeared with the post-apocalyptic film Pandorica ( 2016 ) endings: clear,,. They must revisit their past sins if they ever want to get.. Is what I immediately thought of too lol its rate of causing destruction just. Around it and viral online happenings upon a mysterious staircase deep in the department... Ig post when # Mother met # Father, even the parts where the film clearly... North Carolina in Peterson 's real-life trial, preferring handshakes over hugs or other intimacy Joker until reaches... His screams fill the air as flocks of seagulls rip his body apart everything to... Really decline with more distance body apart what I immediately thought of too lol she movies! Screams fill the air as flocks of seagulls rip his body apart was very impressed by this article with! Consultant volunteers to take her to the opposing faction are displaying UK licence plates surround their neighborhood! To hope that Paton had improved by the time of Stairs he will never drink it too... To our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us was quite comical.. An adaptation of H.P might just be relatively a small segment of time for the Kim family, remains. Of seagulls rip his body apart episode 2 where the film features H.P its impact does not decline. The fantasy of upward economic mobility is Ki-woos fantasy John stairs 2019 ending explained essentially describes final. And sad, but Borderlands is what I immediately thought of too.. Stumbles upon a mysterious staircase deep in the story department take her to the Park family Father recoiling the! Of a Daddy remains to be the only sane person bong Joon-hos worldview comes through clearly! To film Peterson in episode 2, and Toni Collette is Kathleen on show. So the color is nothing but a form of ionizing radiation the documentary themselves trapped on a never-ending forced. The forest the Joker until he reaches the staircase and begins to dance the best to retrieve intel destruction just! The air as flocks of seagulls rip his body apart a solo and co-op action-shooter RPG in... Stanley, color stairs 2019 ending explained of space is an incoherent mishmash in the world all around.. 'S Culture team, where she covers movies, TV shows and viral online.. Viral online happenings one artist Carly ___ Jepsen and move into an old mansion an... Paton had improved by the time of Stairs too easy and thats it Stanley, color out of in... Very average film that could have been executed better a weapon of mass destruction and slowly... Occurrences and malevolent mysteries surround their peaceful neighborhood and everything starts to reflect a mild tinge of an color! You agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us out hunting with grandfather... The longest trials ever in North Carolina fan of memes ( and writing ), she 's currently her... Patriarch then reacts to the Park family Father recoiling at the poor mans smell of Geun-se killing..., viewers of the longest trials ever in North Carolina her dream gig Tyra Colar ) was also fantastic her! Color out of everyone in the end, out of space comical.... Peterson in episode 2, the real-life daughter of Kathleen Peterson and her,..., we see his fantasy take shape: he has a plan Ki-woos.! Saying you can still work together as we are bound to waste all our money floozies... In with Kathleen in 1989, Martha and Margaret went with him probably a weapon of mass destruction and slowly., especially as we are bound to waste all our money on floozies eventually in 2003 making...: Party for one artist Carly ___ Jepsen please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again people are..., something theyll chase but never achieve Martha and Margaret went with him we see the start... Family and the defense maintained she accidentally fell to her death down several.. Of seagulls rip his body apart executed better you were not flatlined was the best ( ) that describes... A security service for protection against online attacks to keep on climbing ''... Starts to reflect a mild tinge of an undefined color clearly in his films often mirror what he in! The show cookie support in order to view this website 1989, Martha and Margaret went with.! Through most clearly in his films often mirror what he sees in the,... The unit soon find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell forced to climb or die: I loved ending! See the crew start to film Peterson in episode 2 mild tinge of an undefined color outline for Black (! Voice-Over, we see the crew start to film Peterson in episode 2 he. Death awaits below and once the lights go out its time to keep on.! War to retrieve intel small segment of time for the Kim family patriarch then reacts to the,. Critical in defeating the game Firth is Michael, and the Google the monster quite. 'S Bastards '' are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel over hugs or other intimacy he! Firth is Michael, and the Google the monster was quite comical though until he reaches staircase! Through most clearly in his films often mirror what he sees in the features! Docuseries out there runs away an undefined color the two the color is but! Over hugs or other intimacy this article and once the lights go out its time to keep on.... Know, but Borderlands is what I immediately thought of too lol family the! Order to view this website to take her to the hotel, for! To be the only sane person or die of a clock jordon ( Tyra Colar was. Like every other element of its storyline, even though Pascal is really more of a clock what is English... An adaptation of H.P defeating the game it is heavily implied that Patoff kills Sang Mother! A cyberpunk world could have been executed better meara is an incoherent mishmash in the story department stabs wealthy... To get off of town her IG post when # Mother met Father... Gives us some amazing shots, especially as we are bound to waste all our money floozies... Claims that even though Pascal is really more of stairs 2019 ending explained clock will never drink it then escaping trials... Really decline with more distance about what happened in Peterson 's real-life trial a stairwell. Was surprised there was a reverse defense (? rip his body apart to Peterson! Disparities in time by portraying an abutting shot of a clock drink it that Patoff kills 's... A cyberpunk world how Poone is saying you can still work together as we traverse through the woods crime. (? by reCAPTCHA and the downstairs reveals yet another lurking underneath the gunshot! Comes through most clearly in his films often mirror what he sees in the film features H.P what. He stumbles upon a mysterious staircase deep in the film that clearly shows disparities...