The Host (Gwoemul) (2006)

Horror, Action, Sci-Fi

Director: Joon-ho Bong
Writers: Joon-ho Bong, Won-jun Ha, Chul-hyun Baek
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park, Doona Bae

"Man has made his newest predator"

A horror-sci-fi-political satire from South Korea.

Inspired by an actual incident in which an American mortician in South Korea dumped a large amount of formaldehyde down the drain, but also by a fish with an S-shaped spine caught in Han River, The Host exploits the Godzilla myth, telling the story of a small family living in Seoul, who struggles to keep together as a giant mutant monster living in the river attacks the city.

Written and directed by critically acclaimed visionary filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, who made a serious name for himself with his previous feature Memories of Murder, Gwoemul (literally translated as The Creature) was the talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival and garnered a substantial amount of international buzz at the time. With stunning special effects and beautiful settings, it is both an entertaining creature-feature thrill ride and a poignant human drama.

Plot summary from IMDb: 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.

Awards: 20 wins & 15 nominations.
Runtime: 119 min
R