Bong Joon-ho has been on movies for close to thirty (count ’em) years now. His feature film resumè began several years after, with black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite in 2000. Indeed, not all of his films have been commercial hits. Still, this is neither to say nor imply his directorial work hasn’t stricken a chord with critics.
That includes the milestone success of his 2013 sci-fi epic, Snowpiercer, a explosive coverage of socio-political meltdown amid the dystopian fallout as uprising escalates class warfare on a speeding global train. Of course, the claim to that film’s victor wasn’t without its share of hurdles, with Bong resigned to advocating fervently against the will of cut-crazy producers at the now-defunct The Weinstein Company, for his cut to get the release it deserved.
Bong would go on to ante-up even further, partnering with Netflix for the release of Okja which earned two nominations, including one for the Palme d’Or out of Cannes. Nowadays though, fans of the director can look forward to seeing a Bong-directed flick on the big screen as early as next year when Warner Bros. Pictures rolls out the ambitious big scale sci-fi, Mickey 17. It’s a noteworthy bookmark for moviegoers as the renouned Bong continues to be a genre festival mainstay, specifically with the 22nd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival screening Bong’s 2006 blockbuster, The Host.
The cast is a list of banner stars with Song Kang-ho and Bae Doo-na, both who’ve played major roles in Bong’s films; Bae led the way in Bong’s aforementioned 2000 debut, Song would come to star in Bong’s 2003 crime procedural, Memories Of Murder. Bong’s third feature directing gig spawned in part from an idea he had in high school. In addition, he borrowed inspiration from news reports, specifically one regarding the dumping of formaldehyde.
As the film’s plot would have it, Bong advances off this very story element as his jump-off point, expanding his sci-fi thriller into an even greater thematic essay. At the center of it all is the story of browbeaten Gang-du (Song) who operates a food stand with his father, Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong). Living with them is Gang-du’s daughter, Hyun-seo (Ko Ah-sung), who arrives home from school just in time to watch auntie Nam-joo (Bae Doo-na) compete on television as a national champion archer.
Before anyone ever realizes it, much less Gang-du and his family, a creature is seen stalking the nearby public park, hanging beneath a bridge just above the Han River, before making landfall and terrorizing the park and as many of its inhabitants as possible. Gang-du is one of the first to get wind of the menacing creature’s attack between fighting back and desperately trying to snatch Hyun-seo to safety, only to lose her in the pandemonium and watch as the creature kidnaps her.
Convinced of her death at first, it’s not until Gang-du and the rest of his family, including brother and former activist Nam-il (Park Hae-il), are quarantined by the government that they are alerted of Hyun-seo’s possible whereabouts. What ensues is a rousing escape and a daring rescue amidst a city under siege, all while Hyun-seo, trapped deep in the labyrinthine sewer tunnels, struggles to protect a young boy also taken captive by the mysterious creature.
The Host is host to a number of favorite moments and memorable performances. There is also a ludic undertone in the film’s forwardly bleak and grim allure in some areas, including and especially during when Gang-du and his family escape medical quarantine. There’s a moment where Nam-joo hurriedly and awkwardly walks to the getaway van after nearly driving off without her. Lee Byung-woo, who would later collaborate with Bong on 2009’s Mother, adds a surge of energy to Bong’s applications of comedy here. Other scenes make ample use of deadpan that mingle well enough to highlight moments of visceral terror and foreshadowing, including when Hyun-seo’s bold effort to flee is cut short.
Bong’s ubiquitous work here further draws its way into near-satire, proliferating the media as the irrevocably guilty party in creating the pandemonium; Given that a nebulous viral outbreak takes place in the story, the film unremarkably exemplifies why some of today’s eager conspiracy nutsos would push for The Host as an example to substantiate their entropy, regardless of some of the film’s real and cogent themes and aspects.
It works in that it inspires reflection on the very tangible crises of journalistic ethics, in conjunction with the blaring presence of audacious, ineffectual white characters. Par for the course here are scenes spotlighting news reports of a white U.S. soldier [heroically] battling the monster only to lose an arm and fall ill to an unspecificed virus. Others are where Gang-du is desperate to be heard only to get shut down by a moron cop, and a doctor who knows more than he’s willing to let the public know.
Carrying the film along the way, of course, is the inconspicuous idyllic local Korean family spearheading a mission to rescue a loved one and potentially kill a giant monster. That’s the crucial focus here in the dichotomy Bong lithely illustrates, foundated on strong dramatic and physical performances by the cast, all leading up to an epic battle for the ages as Gang-du, Nam-il and Nam-joo square up with the deadly formaldehyde monster with nothing more than a sack of Molotov cocktails, a bow-and-arrow, and a metal pole, and one homeless man’s providential timing with a jug of petrol.
The production reportedly had to deal with certain budget constraints when it came to VFX post-production. The result brings a formidable look of Bong’s creation suitable enough for audience consumption, such to the effect that the film.would break South Korea’s box-office records that year, before getting its chance in the states and other territories worldwide.
Bong’s aptitude at crafting stories that garner palatable genre fanfare with spectacular cinematic fervor and messaging takes center stage with The Host. As we await his next venture, fans of creature thriller and Asian films with a keenness on transcendent cinema that still holds up almost two decades later, would be wise to catch it at NYAFF, or buy the film or stream it where available.
