Parasite: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content.
A brilliant, darkly funny thriller about class that is best saved for older teens who can handle a sudden turn to bloody violence. A poor Seoul family cons its way into jobs with a rich household, and the scheme spirals out of control. Expect frequent f-words in the subtitles, a married couple's sexual encounter on a sofa while others hide nearby, heavy drinking, and a climax with stabbings and head wounds that leaves several people dead. The graphic violence, constant strong language and sexual content are why we suggest 16, though the social themes reward discussion afterward.
What's in it
Violence
StrongBrief but brutal: people are stabbed with a kitchen knife and a skewer amid lots of blood, heads are struck with a heavy rock, a woman is kicked down concrete stairs, and a man bashes his own head until it bleeds. Several die.
Language
StrongFrequent strong language in the subtitles; one count found nearly 25 f-words and three s-words, plus bitch, ass, prick and several misuses of God's name.
Sex and nudity
ModerateA married couple engage in mutual sexual touching under their clothes, with moaning and crude talk, while others hide nearby; no nudity. A young man kisses the teenage girl he tutors, and a woman plants her underwear in a car to frame someone.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateA family drinks heavily, gets loudly drunk and smashes bottles; a drunk man urinates in an alley. A young woman smokes. Meth and cocaine are mentioned, and a wife asks her husband to buy her drugs.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateNerve-racking hide-and-seek scenes, a hidden basement reveal, and a flood that destroys a family's home build heavy tension. The birthday-party bloodshed is sudden and shocking, and a young boy collapses after a fright.
Worth talking about
Both families are sympathetic and flawed. What do the scenes about smell and the flood say about how money shapes the way people see one another?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org, bbfc.co.uk, the MPA. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.