The title of the scathing new South Korean film “Parasite” refers to the Kim family , destitute basement dwellers who try to climb the social ladder by leeching off the wealthy Park family. While the Kims worry about money, the extravagant Parks worry about poor people’s unpleasant smell .

The families’ lifestyles couldn’t be more different. The Kims’ tiny dining room window looks into a street that doubles as a urinal for drunks. The Parks’ giant panes have a view of their meticulously mowed lawn surrounded by manicured hedges. The Kims eat cheap pizza. The Parks’ favorite casual meal involves premium beef.

The movie is the latest South Korean film to pit the haves against the have-nots: see this year’s No. 1 movie there, “Extreme Job,” as well as recent titles like “Burning” and 2013’s “ Snowpiercer .” It’s no coincidence that income inequality is a recurring theme in the nation’s cinema. Experts say the films, for the most part big hits at home , capture the essence of Korean sentiments at a time when the country’s income gap continues to widen.