Parasite ending explained

What happens

Ki-woo wakes from his head injury, learns his father is hiding in the Parks' bunker, and dreams of buying the house to free him. The film then cuts back to the semi-basement, where that plan is only a dream.

The last image

Ki-woo is back in the cramped semi-basement, and the rich house and his father's rescue are still out of reach.

What it says

The ending refuses a rescue. Ki-woo's plan is sincere, but it belongs to a system built to keep him below street level. The film closes where it began, so you feel how little has changed and how far the climb is.