Revenge of the misplaced rock: (Un)scenic things in Parasite and other 2010s East Asian films

The disorientating and calamitous ending in Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite (2019) might be unexpected, but its imminence is suggested from the beginning: the rock, as an omen for good fortune and a microcosm of the mountain and the universe, is misplaced when it is given as a gift to the poor Kim family. When it appears later on the western-style lawn of the wealthy family, its proper position is further displaced and its violent disruption seems inevitable. Meanwhile, the grassy lawn owned by the Park family, a beautiful view to be enjoyed, encloses a mansion that is more isolated from the world than secluded from dangers. Through quiet landscape, the denouement is revealed early on – this can be said for other 2010s films from East Asia, including The Assassin (), Mountains May Depart () and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (). In these films, the misappropriation of the natural world conditions the depletion and desertion of human bodies whose adherence to corporeal agency indicates either an act of desperation or a sign of the last hope or both. Scenery and things in these films are not merely story backgrounds or cultural symbols but rather represent overlooked spaces that always exist and eventually exert their power.