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The Host

Gwoemul

South Korea

2006

119 Min
Color
1.85:1
English, Korean
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
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DIR Bong Joon-ho

EXEC Kim Woo-Taek, Jeong Tae-Sung

PROD Choi Yong-Bae, Neung-yeon Joh

SCR Baek Chul-hyun, Bong Joon-ho, Won-jun Ha

DP Kim Hyung-ku

CAST Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Du-na, Ko Ah-seong

ED Kim Sun-min

MUSIC Lee Byung-woo

Cannes (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs), New York, Toronto (Midnight Madness), Edinburgh, AFI FEST (Dark Horizons), Vancouver

Synopsis

The film revolves around Park Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s. He runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Han River and lives with his two sons, one daughter, and one granddaughter. The Parks seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life, but maybe they are a bit poorer than the average Seoulite. Hee-bong’s elder son Gang-du is an immature and incompetent man in his 40s, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il is the youngest son, an unemployed grumbler, and daughter Nam-joo is an archery medalist and member of the national team. One day, an unidentified monster suddenly appears from the depths of the Han River and spreads panic and death, and Gang-du’s daughter Hyun-seo is carried off by the monster and disappears. All of the family members are in a great agony because they lost someone very dear to them. But when they find out she is still alive, they resolve to save her. –IMDb

Director

Original

Bong Joon-ho

BONG Joon-ho studied Sociology at the Yonsei University and graduated from the Korean Film Academy. By 1995 he made three short films Memories in My Frame, White Man and Incoherence. He wrote and directed his first feature, Barking Dogs Never Bite, which won a Fipresci Award at the Hong Kong Film Festival in 2001. His second feature Memories of Murder won the Silver Shell award for the best director in San Sebastian Film Festival in 2003. In 2006 his third feature film, The Host, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. —london.korean-culture.org 

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MichaelBarry

1Jan12

I like films with surprises.

Jack Lineman likes this

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Alvi Ifthikhar

19Sep11

A Thoughtful social satire, An uncanny comical essence, strong characterization, superb acting performance, deep and melancholic family drama. How can someone has all those things in one package? especially from a biological sci-fi thriller? Well Bong Joon-Ho does that. A thrilling and very well-crafted cinematic experience.

deniz likes this

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Adrian

4Jul11

Los verdaderos pilares de esta historia son sus personajes.

Fini likes this

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OwainCai

12Jun11

This is why Korean cinema is at the top of my list.

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

The Auteurs Daily: Toronto and NYFF. Mother

By David Hudson on October 6, 2009

"After giving free-floating dread a gargantuan, tentacled form in The Host, Bong Joon-ho returns to human-sized monsters in Mother." Fernando

read article

Bong Joon-ho's THE HOST Converted To 3D

By Twitchfilm.com on October 11, 2011
Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is back, and this time the monster is coming at you in three dimensions.Bong’s South Korean creature feature was a massive hit at home and abroad, shattering local box office records
read on Twitchfilm.com

괴물 (The Host) Breaks Opening Day Record

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
I could have used another lame ‘monster’ related double entendre, but this thing started so well we might be dealing with Bong Joon-Ho’s latest film for quite a while. And you need to save ammunition
read on Twitchfilm.com

괴물 (The Host) Breaks Opening Day Record

By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
I could have used another lame ‘monster’ related double entendre, but this thing started so well we might be dealing with Bong Joon-Ho’s latest film for quite a while. And you need to save ammunition
read on Twitchfilm.net

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Reviews

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Untitled

By Se Young on August 13, 2009

Disregarding the heavy-handed anti-americanism seen in the initial lab scene and the not-so-clever allusions to Agent Orange, Gwoemul is an amazing film about family. Yes it is a monster film and yes…  read review

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hosting chile,

1 post by 1 person about 1 month ago