Top 25 Korean Films - No. 8

The Host (Dir. Bong Joon Ho, 2006)

The monster movie with a difference, The Host has become one of the banner works of Korean cinema, and for very good reason. A melee of genres executed with impeccable film technique, a lucid triumph of seemingly ill-fitting elements and a perspicacious examination of Korean politics and family dynamics, Bong Joon Ho’s smash hit aimed high and easily met its mark.

There are many ways one can approach viewing The Host but while the most obvious may appear to be as a monster film, that is actually the least effective method of going about it. Far more interesting is to consider it as a dressed up family melodrama. Song Kang-ho, as a hapless father figure, is at the center of a three generation family, each member of which acts as a special signifier for Korean society at large. Darkly humorous and full of surprising ideas, The Host is as satisfying as big-budget fare gets.

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