The Host
The Host is a 2006 South Korean monster film that gives a body to pollution, similar to Godzilla, The film is also a critique of various controversies and mistakes of the government, mainly the United States.
Summary
The movie opens with a scene of formaldehyde being poured down the drain by an American doctor’s assistant. The waste ends up in the Han River and overtime causes mutations in the fish.
We are introduced to “slow” Gang-du and his father Hie-bong working in their snack store next to the Han River one afternoon. Gang-du’s daughter, Hyun-seo, is there with them. and his sister, Nam-joo, a national level archer, is competing on television.
Some unusual things happen in the river, drawing a crowd, who witness the emergence of the monster, which immediately goes on a rampage, claiming many victims. Gang-du is there to witness the scene and has a few close calls with the monster. Hyun-seo is out of the shop now and Gang-du drags her away from the monster. In the confusion, his hand slips and he grabs someone else. He watches Hyun-seo get taken by the monster and it jumps back into the river.
The Park family, joined by Gang-du’s brother Nam-il, and other affected families are told the monster is the host of a virus and everyone is quarantine in a hospital. That night, Gang-du gets a distorted call from Hyun-seo, and he is able to make out that she is in a sewer underground. No one outside the family believes she is alive, and thus the family escapes the hospital disguised as a fumigation team to search the sewers.
Two homeless kids are kidnapped by the monster and brought back to the sewer, but only the younger boy Se-joo is alive. Hyun-seo helps him get better and takes him to her hideout away from the monster. The Park’s are searching in various sewers unsuccessfully and go back to the shop, where they notice the monster near the riverside and go out to deal with it. Gang-du miscounts the bullets necessary, leading to his father’s death by the monster just before authorities arrive. Nam-joo and Nam-il escape but Gang-du is captured.
Nam-il traces the call from Hyun-seo and locates the monster’s lair and communicates the location to Nam-joo. Nam-joo goes to the location and is unable to attack the monster, but she has told Gang-du where the monster is.
The decision is made to lobotomize Gang-du to find the virus, as he has clearly gone insane. However, the American doctor admits to his Korean colleague that the virus was made up and does not exist. Gang-du manages to escape by holding a nurse hostage and makes his way to the location. He sees the monster running away with Hyun-seo and chases it as it makes it way to the river, where many people have gathered to protest the government’s release of Agent Yellow, an American chemical weapon to take down the virus and monster.
When the chemical is released, the monster is incapacitated and Gang-du is able to drag out Hyun-seo and Se-joo. However, Hyun-seo died during the chemical attack. The siblings take revenge on the monster and kill it, despite its discomfort from Agent Yellow. The film ends with Gang-du taking Se-joo in while a news report plays.
Anti-American Views
The premise of the movie is based on events in 2000, where Albert McFarland, who ran an American military base morgue in Seoul ordered the dumping of formaldehyde down a drain. The waste ended up in the Han River and McFarland was convicted and given a suspended sentence. The film opens with a version of these events and the viewer is aware of the monster's origin before the characters find the truth.
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- Introduction Tiffany Chung