The Host
Film details
| Film Title | The Host |
|---|---|
| Suitability | |
| Genre | |
| Length | 120mins |
| Year | 2006 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Director | Bong Joon Ho |
| Actors | Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il |
| Language | Korean, English |
| AKA | Gwoemul |
| Showings |
An American military base releases toxic chemicals into Seoul’s Han River. Six years later, a mutant squid monster emerges from the river and begins attacking people. The film revolves around Park-Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s who runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Han River and lives with his two sons, daughter and granddaughter. The Parks are a working class family who we see early on bickering and struggling to make a living, but their bond is stronger than we might initially imagine.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho who made ‘Parasite’, ‘The Host’ is an earlier work which features a strong cast including actor, Song Kang-ho who plays the lead role in many of his films.
“This is a film that will keep you guessing. With a unique mix of humour and suspense interwoven into the family dynamics of the main characters, ‘The Host’ is sure to be a favourite among mystery-monsters-from-the-sea fans.”
Andrea Huntley, project team volunteer
If this madly entertaining movie has a fault, it’s that it’s too ingenious for the genre it ostensibly inhabits.
★★★★
Bong still offers a powerful rejoinder to his Hollywood counterparts: Anything you can do, I can do better.
★★★★
AV ClubThe movie pops up out of nowhere, grabs you in its big, messy tentacles, and drags you down into murky depths, where social satire coexists with slapstick, and B-movie clichés mutate into complex metaphors.
★★★★
Playing Together/Hamkke Noneun
Playing Together/Hamkke Noneun, our Korean + anime season emerged out of a conversation which took place during our Japan Season last year, and has involved the work of a large team of community volunteers. The youngest member of our group is only 15. All the team members have made a contribution and helped to deliver the final programme; some were active at different stages of the process.
