The movie
Show notes
Bong Joon-ho is a fascinating director, and for the start of Kaijune, a theme month dedicated to cinematic monsters, I simple had to start with The Host , one of his lesser-known films but also one of his most accomplished. Bong Joon-ho does tend to make movies about monsters, but usually they’re figurative monsters. Capitalism, colonialism, greed, class inequalities, social injustice. But here, this is a literal monster born from humanity's greed, government conspiracy and environmental disaster. A monster who will eat anyone and anything in its path. A monster Bong was insistent to show in its entirety up front, and in daylight. Centred around the everyday Park family, and hapless father Gang-du, a shop worker who's pitied and berated by his family, loses his daughter in the panic after the monster appears out of the Han River. Gang-du ends up incarcerated and lobotomized, but still does everything in his limited power to find and save Hyun-seo, who refuses to be damselled and in turn protects and saves a younger child from being eaten by the monster. But is the monster really the monster? Or is America the monster? It's a deeply personal and relatable family story, wrapped in a monster movie. No wonder it broke box office records in South Korea... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Host (괴물) (2006) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, C
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