The Han River is the most important river on the Korean Peninsula. It is the symbol of the capital and the entire country for South Korea. In order to control the Han River basin, Korea in The Three Kingdoms used to be in turmoil. The river has played an important role in Korean history which is a dominating water source for Seoul residents and a good place for people to relax or travel and used to be a vital route for trade with China furthermore. Since the 1960s, South Korea along the Han River has developed an export-oriented export-oriented economy. More than two decades of rapid development have transformed South Korea from the ruins of war into the 11th largest economy in the world. Many world-renowned multinational corporations such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai are born here. The South Korea has become one of the Four Asian economic Tigers,known as the miracle of the Han River.
Bong Joon-ho's The Host was released to the world after South Korea entered the ranks of developed countries. Once it was released, it topped the South Korean box office chart in 2006 and became the hottest movie that summer. The total population of South Korea was 48 million at that time, and the number of viewers of The Host was nearly 13 million. That is to say, one in about three Koreans had watched The Host in a theater. It was rated as the third best film in the world by the Cahiers du Cinéma in 2006, second only to Alain Resnais' Coeurs and Aleksandr Sokurov's The Sun(Солнце).As one scholar said: "The Host marks the transition from weak to strong to true maturity of Korean films. It has grown from an industry tightly fettered by the government to an industry with extraordinary competitiveness,the ability to produce various types of movies, and an international perspective. Bong Joon-ho's work shows amazing depth and originality, challenging the integration of commerciality, artistry and social criticism of film, and sending Korean films in the post-democratic era to unprecedented heights."The great success of the film has further established Bong's presence in Korea, even the status of the world's film industry.
The reason why a monster appeared in the Han River in the film is that as early as 2000, at the US military base in Seoul, South Korea, an American scientist instructed his subordinates to pour all the waste formaldehyde into the drainage ditch, and the drainage ditch directly leads to the Han River. Then the camera shifted to the Han River shoal two years later. Two fishermen were fishing. At this time, a fisherman discovered an unknown creature that appeared to be a mutant (the monster at this time was not taken seriously). Six years later, someone did see a huge black object on the bridge, "Idiots, it's over, our good day." At this time, the Han River was like an open blood basin, swallowing the whistleblower who jumped off the bridge. Sadly, his predictions and actions did not attract the attention of people and the government.The film has not directly given the source of the The Host, but inferred from the narrative logic, the director attributed the production of the monster to the man-made formaldehyde waste discharge at the beginning of the film. The seemingly simple operation has a rich narrative intent. American scientists dispose of industrial waste at will, even claiming that the Han River is vast and pollution is nothing. This hasty decision exposes not only the US's contempt for South Korea's environmental problems, but also its indifference to the health of South Korea citizens. The director took this Criticizing the American hegemony's long-term oppression and interference in South Korea also alluded to the inferior incident of the US military in South Korea dumping chemical waste (formaldehyde) into the Han River in February 2000. In addition,only fishermen and ordinary people found the monsters, and the water system managers and pipeline maintenance personnel who should really take the responsibility were unaware. Bong Jun-ho used this as a metaphor for the inaction of the South Korean government. This is precisely the deep foundation that the film's narrative can win widespread attention at home cultural and abroad.
Same as the director's first two films, The Host focuses on the living conditions of small people in contemporary South Korea. In the end, it was neither a superhero nor a policeman who defended law and order and the people who defeated the monsters in the Han River. It was Park gang-du family. In order to rescue gang-du's daughter, this very ordinary family did not hesitate to clashed with the government and the police, fearlessly facing the viruses and monsters that scientists are helpless, and fully interprets the joys and anger of the little people, the absurdity of the low-level people. And banter. This low-view civilian posture captures the viewer's heart, as if disaster is happening in the time and space he knows well, and the salvation and self -help of the protagonist's family are more appropriate for the unarmed people.Of course, the artistic height of the film does not entirely lie in how it pleases the audience. The low-level perspective can subtly peek into the gaps between classes. Director Bong Jun-ho is very good at using this feature to compare the social background of The Host with that of South Korea. Social contradictions are manifested through Park Gang-du's family, constructing a film world where tragedy and comedy coexist, warmth and cold blood. The tragedy in The Host broke out in a comedy. The bottom angle of view is mostly full of realism and comedic effects, just as Park Gang-du suddenly appeared in the camera with his head tilted to sleep, changing the depressive and gloomy atmosphere of the film. , Adding a somewhat lazy and relaxed atmosphere. Then the camera zoomed out,and the audience could clearly understand that the Park Gang-du and his family made a living by operating a small shop on the banks of the Han River. Gang-du is lethargic and doesn't wake up when business comes. He presses the change under his greasy cheeks, creating an image of laziness and laziness for the audience. Gang-du's father worked with him in the small shop, and he did not forget to tear off a squid leg and stuff it into his mouth when he was roasting squid in the sloppy Gang-du. He is very generous to his daughter, who loves to take advantage of the small bargain. The change he saves for buying a mobile phone for his daughter is stored in a bowl of instant noodles. These scenes show the comical color of Park Gang-du's little character vividly and vividly. Then the camera followed Park Gang-du to the bank of the Han River.People found monsters in the river. The fearless crowd even understood the monsters as dolphins, and unscrupulously threw the food in their hands into the river together with the packaging bags in an attempt to feed the monsters. Through the description of this shot, the director satirized people's indifferent attitude towards environmental pollution, and the low-level people's irresponsible behaviors that only show themselves happy to render the underlying colors, the lack of quality and awareness of environmental protection are more realistic to some extent." people". While in the funeral home, the whole family cried loudly. Many viewers couldn't help but laugh at this moment, but faced with the pain of their loved ones leaving, the whole family had no other way to express their emotions.They could only roll on the ground in grief. What's even more ridiculous is that no one came forward to appease this broken family, and a large number of reporters kept taking pictures of them. Park Gang-du's family did not receive any help from the government after learning that their daughter was still alive. Instead, they were treated as a mental disorder caused by too much sadness. Under the pressure of time to save people, their family started the escape mode and prepared to retrieve the daughter on their own. As a result, they became wanted by the public security department and were publicly reported by the media. When Park Gang-du saw his wanted photo on TV, he proudly wanted to record himself on TV to show off to his daughter. In this way , the director further highlighted Park Gang-du's image of a small person.He was even extremely marginalized by the society and even wanted to show it off to his daughter. Television has also become a kind of glory in disguise. The humorous language of the lens reveals a deep tragedy behind the comedy plot. This tragedy comes from the untrustworthiness of the people at the bottom of society and those in power. At the same time, the sense of distrust is also reflected in Gang-du's younger brother Park Namil. Namil is the only person in his family who has been admitted to university, but has been unemployed. Without a job, he often drank, and his heart was full of dissatisfaction with society. Director also satirized South Korea's persistent unemployment rate and the inability to increase the employment rate through the portrayal of Park Namil's character.
The South Korean government's investigation and research on the The Host has been interfered and guided by the US government to a large extent. The imperialist hegemony of political and military suppression through the use of the The Host has become another story clue throughout the film. The United States' intervention in the Han River accident in South Korea is divided into three stages, namely, "creating" monsters-fabricating viruses-designing and dropping yellow bomb agent yellow. The three processes have a beginning and an end, from the shallower to the deeper, it seems to be a carefully thought out plan. The US military officer Donald became a reasonable springboard for the US military to intervene in the Han River accident. This just and defying soldier came to South Korea to travel while on vacation.He did not escape when facing the The Host and chose to save more lives by himself. Finally paid the price of a broken arm. The US government took this opportunity to announce that Donald was infected with an unknown virus, and made this information public without providing any effective information, which caused panic among South Korean nationals. This kind of psychological defense line attack brought The fear that comes is far more than the monsters.This kind of psychological defense line attack brought The fear that comes is far more than the monsters.This kind of psychological defense line attack brought The fear that comes is far more than the monsters.
At the end of the film, people in the smoke are bleeding, and the The Host twists and struggles. The Gang-du family found the dead daughter in the monster's mouth, and then started fighting with the monster. It is obvious that agentyellow, which represents high technology, high cost, and high class, cannot put the monster to death. In the end, relying on the unity and cooperation of Park Gang-du's family and gasoline assists by beggars on the street, the monsters were successfully burned and the ridiculous crisis on the Han River was ended. In this process, no police or expert appeared, but the beggars who symbolized the low-level people showed their super courage and intelligence. This once again satirizes the incompetence of the US and South Korean governments ,and underscores the positive thinking of being able to win under unity and the belief in victory, no matter what status or status it is.
So far, what kind of monster is hiding under the Han River? Are they fish-like dragon-like aquarium creatures infected by chemicals? the hegemony, contempt and control of one country over another; the strong contrast between the country's increasingly prosperous economy and the people's environmental protection quality and political consciousness; the numbness, alienation, indifference, betrayal, and profiteering of the society or the hope of the country, government, and nation Of alienation. Director Bong Joon-ho has never mentioned the symbolic meaning of his film anywhere, but in the interview, he has never denied that he is commenting on politics. He said that it is the real important thing for weak families to fight against powerful monsters. This family Are mutual heroes. In the canteen on a snowy night ,Park Gang-du and his adopted son are eating dinner. The only family portrait in the family is a wanted order from the police, but it looks so harmonious when it is posted on the wall. When the father saw the news broadcast the investigation of the monster virus incident, he did not hesitate to turn off the TV at the request of the little boy. A victim, who is concerned about himself and hangs up high, does not pay any attention to it and is not angry. He subverts our inertial thinking in the most ordinary and unassuming way and sublimates the connotation of the film to a higher level. He turned off the noisy TV with his toe, looked at the hidden danger current not far away, holding the shotgun tightly.When the father saw the news broadcast the investigation of the monster virus incident, he did not hesitate to turn off the TV at the request of the little boy. A victim, who is concerned about himself and hangs up high, does not pay any attention to it and is not angry. He subverts our inertial thinking in the most ordinary and unassuming way and sublimates the connotation of the film to a higher level. He turned off the noisy TV with his toe, looked at the hidden danger current not far away , holding the shotgun tightly.When the father saw the news broadcast the investigation of the monster virus incident, he did not hesitate to turn off the TV at the request of the little boy. A victim, who is concerned about himself and hangs up high, does not pay any attention to it and is not angry. He subverts our inertial thinking in the most ordinary and unassuming way and sublimates the connotation of the film to a higher level. He turned off the noisy TV with his toe, looked at the hidden danger current not far away , holding the shotgun tightly.He subverts our inertial thinking in the most ordinary and unassuming way and sublimates the connotation of the film to a higher level. He turned off the noisy TV with his toe, looked at the hidden danger current not far away, holding the shotgun tightly.He subverts our inertial thinking in the most ordinary and unassuming way and sublimates the connotation of the film to a higher level. He turned off the noisy TV with his toe, looked at the hidden danger current not far away, holding the shotgun tightly.
What monsters are playing a waiting game under the Han River, who knows?
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