The Host

Remember what I said about films being the sole consolation for a dull, boring life? I watched The Host with Ed! Yay!

But first, speaking of films... Paula Abdul appeared in the Rockstar audience yesterday! (yes, I'm very up to date with certain types of news.) Hey Paula, check out the singers who can sing (compared to American Idol), and the wonderful show format (compared to American Idol), and the lack of soppy family videos (compared to American Idol).

Spoilers warning! Don't read if you haven't and are going to watch The Host.














The Host had a sad ending... So much for "a family comedy in the guise of a monster movie" (Ed's words). So I was sad for a while. But what I found really disturbing about the film was that it seemed to be the fantasy of a guilty father (perhaps it's just me).

Ok, spoilers warning #2. If you read on, don't blame me.

Let's read the movie like this: a father who seems slow and totally 'out of it' lives with his father and his precocious daughter. He's looked down upon by all his family members, including his daughter, but he loves them, especially his daughter, dearly. So what essentially happens is, a monster appears from out of the blue, kills his father and daughter despite his best efforts to save them, and in the end, he adopts a little boy who gets along with him and doesn't look down on him, and he takes over his father's store.

Hmmm. Suppose I was a father who doesn't have the respect of my child or dad, I live with my dad and I'm a lowly employee in his store while he makes all the decisions and often scolds me. What would I fantasize?

Suppose... a monster came and killed the two of them. And of course I didn't want that. I tried to save them. It wasn't my fault. Everything was out of my control. I cried over my dad's body. I cried over my daughter's body. I avenged my family by killing the monster. I've been absolved from all guilt. And I adopted this little boy my daughter died trying to save. It was the right thing to do. But it is only with this little boy that I can build up the parent-child relationship that I've always dreamt of having.

Ok... Maybe it's just me. But I thought there were tell-tale signs. Like when his brother and sister were weeping over the body of his daughter, he walked up to the little boy (after killing the monster) and picked him up. And it seemed by the end of year he'd lost all interest in the event that should be considered traumatic to him. He absent-mindedly switches off the tv - doesn't even notice it actually - when a news report comes on about the monster, in order to concentrate on having dinner with his new son. He now owns the store, and is in charge of protecting it. He holds the gun. His new son doesn't talk back at him, and is, actually, very much like him. Both stole stuff when they were young because they were hungry; the last 'family scene' with his new son shows the son basically sleeping and eating - the two preoccupations of the protagonist. This is really the perfect son for him.

Hmmm. If you were a father who didn't have the respect of your family, didn't have your own means of making a living, had to depend on others, were at the beck and call of your father... If you couldn't deal with the fact that you longed to be rid of this family, if you couldn't deal with the fact that actually, what you really wanted was another family in which everyone respected you, and you were in control... what would you fantasize?