(This post began as a continuation of the previous one, hence the oh-so-eloquent flow, or rather, the reference to something not included in this same entry.)
It shouldn’t actually come as much of a surprise that the best film so far critiquing the current state of the world and particularly our country’s involvement in the Middle East has nothing to do with Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Israel or the Palestinians and is not directed by some American left-wing liberal. In fact, part of the reason that The Host (which screened last weekend and Magnolia Pictures will distribute some time later this year) is such a good analysis of this international state of affairs is because while not being subtle in the least, the film's story and soul focuses not on some larger incident but rather on the experiences and reactions of one family at the heart of it all.
In this way, The Host is quite similar to Pan's Labyrinth. In addition to creating an emotional and humanistic tale at the center of a politically themed argument, Bong Joon-ho's film also places a young girl at the center, in a hero's role, trying to fight tremendous forces that are actually beyond her or anyone's control. But shared on an even deeper and more thematic level is this statement of not blindly following authority, of thoughtfulness, of questioning everything, even those things that scare us, particularly in the form of a government.
The Host begins in a South Korean lab where an American military scientist orders his Korean assistant to pour a ridiculously large amount of toxic chemicals down the drain in the sink simply because the bottles are dusty. The assistant argues that this drain leads to the Han River, a major tributary running through the center of Seoul, but his boss doesn't care, and down the drain the bottles go. Two years later, a couple locals fishing in the Han see a small creature unlike any fish they've ever seen. They catch it, but when it scares them, it escapes. Four years later, we meet the Park family – patriach and food kiosk owner Hie-bong (Byeon Hie-bong), his lazy, slacker son Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), and Gang-du's smart, older-than-her-years daughter Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung). While people are enjoying a sunny Seoul day outside, the Parks watch Gang-du's sister Nam-joo (Bae Doo-na) compete on TV – she's a champion archer. The pleasant day is interrupted, however, when people start to eye something weird hanging from a bridge and then diving into the water. This something winds up being a mutated monster which can also hop up on land, swatting people around and eating them at will. When Gang-du carelessly loses his daughter in the chaos, he sees that the monster has capture her, and with the help of his family -- which also includes college graduate and alcoholic Nam-il (Park Hae-il) – he's determined to get her back.
Unfortunately, the government and scientists get in the way, especially when the US military decides to get itself involved. It seems that those who came into directed contact with the monster have somehow contracted a virus; this creature is obviously the host of this virus, and a health panic ensues. (One brilliant scene – which might remind people of reactions during the SARS epidemic a few years back – involves a person at a bus stop sneezing into a puddle.) Of course, how much of any of this is simple paranoia, how much evidence of any true, unseen danger exists – beyond a monster rampaging around the riverfront and sewers – is up for debate. Still, that doesn't stop multiple quarantines and tests on all those suspected of having touched the monster.
The parallels are obvious. Much as the US unintentionally created the monster that is Saddam Hussein by feeding him when his presence served us, so too does this sea creature develop when an American scientist figures that the river is "broad" enough to handle the dumping of toxic chemicals. Much as the Iraqi people stood by as the fascist minority Baath party grew in power until it was virtually unstoppable, so too does the Korean government ignore the conditions of its river and do two simple fisherman not think twice about some mutation that swims by them. And much as there were no weapons of mass destruction even though (as the Bush administration likes to repeat) the majority of the international community believed Saddam had them, so too is there no true understanding of this monster or evidence of any virus before the Koreans mismanage it and the US decides it must come to the rescue.
The Host exists in the same tradition as many 1950s American and '60s Japanese Sci-Fi and monster movies; a world gone amuck with nuclear power and the Red threat of communism brought to life with terrorist space aliens from Mars or giant lizards like Godzilla. In this case, the representation of the monster isn't so cut and dried because, in fact, the monster is not necessarily the most evil character in the film. In fact, two young boys scrounging for food discuss an old Korean tradition that separates the "borrowing" of food when hungry from theft. The monster actually lives by a similar premise. It is simply looking to survive: it didn't ask to be here; it doesn't know how to interact with others; it just needs to eat. It possesses a certain elegance and fluidity, doing tumbling-like trapeze moves on the bridge, performing perfect score dives into the river, and gliding along the ground. As disgusting and ugly as its physical form happens to be, it's motion and momentum remains quite fishlike. And Bong does not create a heartless killing machine either. Specific scenes show that this is an intelligent creature, driven to survive by any means necessary, but also understanding when it is threatened and fighting back when necessary. (The first major confrontation with the Parks leads to a victory by the monster, which can also be seen as a specific warning to this family.)
It's hard to discuss how intricately constructed this marvelous movie is without giving away elements of the plot – funny and sad, action-packed and dramatic. Like del Toro and Pan's Labyrinth, The Host is not just thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking, but impeccably constructed utilizing every element of the filmmaker's craft. Within this larger than life monster story is this smaller family drama: a father who has been relatively aimless and useless but now must save his daughter; a sister whose hesitation in competition has cost her from being a winner, but can't afford to hesitate any longer; a brother who feels like his college degree should have earned him a better lot in life, but who now spends his time drinking and bemoaning his lack of work. As critical as Bong may be of the American influence, he by no means lets South Korea off the hook. This is a country in a relatively constant state of paranoia due to the regime that lives just north of them on the peninsula. Bong presents a society that can't govern or manage itself and maybe doesn't even want to – the US can come in to save the day (or actually wreak more havoc) simply because it's easier.
Bong's family is also a fascinating construction: one devoid of maternal instinct but full of female strength. Gang-du's and his sibling's mother is nowhere to be seen. Neither is the mother of Hyun-seo, nor of the other child we eventually meet (of whom Hyun-seo becomes a protective mother figure for a short time). Even Nam-joo is presented as an athlete, a modern young woman, but not one with necessarily any maternal instinct or qualities. It's a noticeable omission in a family that must come together to save one of their own but doesn't quite have the necessary unity to do so.
Also like Pan's Labyrinth, the conclusion of The Host is one that we are likely to never see from the current form of modern US mainstream cinema. It is bittersweet, heroic, tragic and life-affirming all at once. It is the natural culmination to a profound work of art, an example of filmmaking that because of its genre elements is often looked down upon by those who believe sci-fi, horror and monster movies are a lesser form of art or purely entertainment. But Bong with The Host -- just like del Toro with Pan's Labyrinth -- go far in proving that the best, most human and truly meaningful filmmaking can be the kind that takes us away from the everyday world transporting us to one familiar while still remaining a safe distance away. The Host is tremendous filmmaking, and Bong -- with just three features under his belt -- looks to be one of the bright lights in international cinema for (hopefully) decades to come.
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