The Host Lands in the US

I've been seeing some reviews popping up for this film called "The Host" by the Korean director Bong Joon-Ho as it is set to make its US debut. This film also made the cover of Artforum magazine in January 2007 which really surprised me since Artforum is more of a fine arts magazine. Reviews of this film have been almost all positive and just this past week the New York Times also gave the film its blessing.

I was probably one of the last people of the movie-going public living in Korea to see this film. I saw bits and pieces on an airplane but bought a legimtimate DVD.

To begin with, this movie is hands down the highest grossing movie in Korean film history. Ticket sales were roughly KRW 45,500,000,000 (about US$48 million) which is quite staggering given that fact that the total population of Korea numbers around 48 million. Also quite surprising taking into account the rampant illegal downloads of movies and the many street corner vendors selling copied DVDs (three for US$10).

While this movie is thrown into the "monster genre" or "horror" category it does not fall neatly into either category. The director has said that he is a fan of M. Night Shyamalan and compares this film more to a movie like "Signs" with its focus on the family and not the monster. The power of this movie is the focus on the rather dysfunctional / lower class family that unites to get back the young daughter that has been kidnapped by the monster. Not only is the family fighting the monster, they are actually up against most authority figures in Korea (be it the police, hospital officials, and the US military). As such, the movie is a refreshing mix of social commentary (corruption on all levels and, most ostensibly, Korea's reliance on the US military), proponent of family values, horror and comedy and while it sometimes does flirt with the border of melodrama it does not go too far in any one direction to put anyone completely off. Some may not agree and one Korean critic wrote, proudly, that "This is Korea's first legitimate anti-American film."

The power of this movie feeds off of the very human quality of the family members. The acting is really superb. The lead actor, Song Kang-Ho, is one of the best actors in Korea. He's been in so many leading Korean films and is consistently good in all of them. He plays the rather bumbling father to a tilt here and injects such a human character to him that you feel for him even while being so irked by his actions.

The final scene shows the small snack shack located in a park next to the Han River where the family lives and runs its business. It is snowing and the glow of the hut stands in contrast to the darkness over the river. Many critics read this to show a rather dark world out there but I actually had a different reaction. There is great warmth emanating from the hut. It is inviting and warm and safe. It is a simple joy in a crazy world. In a way, it is quite uplifting in my opinion. To watch the family cook up ramen noodles in the hut and watch their little TV it somehow made me feel that, while they are not well off in the typical sense, the characters lead a rich life in their own way.

-Pat in Seoul