“A horror thriller, a political satire, a dysfunctional family comedy, and a touching melodrama, Bong Joon-ho's THE HOST is also one helluva monster movie.” - Jim Emerson, Chicago Sun-Times

“The movie pops up out of nowhere, grabs you in its big, messy tentacles, and drags you down into murky depths, where social satire coexists with slapstick, and B-movie clichés mutate into complex metaphors.” - Dana Stevens, Slate

February 14 at 6pm | Winner of the Asian Film Award for Best Film, THE HOST is a “monster movie” for our moment of environmental neglect and climate change. That means we are responsible - but which people? And which people suffer as a result? Careless U.S. soldiers dump chemical waste in Seoul’s Han River, spawning the mysterious creature Gwoemul, while the local government does its best to deny and cover up. Park Gang-du, who runs a kiosk on the riverfront, is one of the first to learn of Gwoemul’s existence and ultimately to fight against it after his daughter, Hyun-seo, is captured, King Kong-style. By equal turns hilarious, grotesque, and poignant, THE HOST is an early salvo in the New Korean cinema that has made waves internationally in recent years.


Awards & Nominations

Winner - Best Actor (Song Kang-ho), Best Cinematographer, Best Film, Best Visual Effects, Asian Film Awards
Nominee - C.I.C.A.E. Award, Cannes Film Festival


Gore Capitalism Lecture SeriesProfessor Daniel R. Quiles presents Gore Capitalism, a lecture series centered on the everyday “horror” we are living through and how the individual gets caught in uneven wars between classes, races, genders, sexual orientations, healthy and sick, states and citizens. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Art History, Theory and Criticism, and Film, Video, New Media, and Animation departments. View full series here


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