THE HOST
US, 2013, 122 minutes, Colour.
Saiorse Ronan, William Hurt, Jake Abel, Max Irons, Diane Kruger, Frances Fisher.
Directed by Andrew Niccol.
Quite an interesting science-fiction film, one with more thinking than action. The original novel was written by Stephenie Meyer, much better known as the author of the Twilight novels. She moves from vampire communities to futuristic alien/body-snatching communities. Once again people with significant differences can exist within the ordinary human community. Except that, this time, the aliens want to take over the humans as they have done on other planets.
Earth is a particular challenge, a dark planet with violent, greedy and wasteful people. At the opening of the film, the aliens boast that they have been able to create a perfect society, where nobody does any wrong, honesty is the only policy and hurting others is not part of the ethos.
Actually, this raises some philosophical issues right from the introduction. It concerns everything happening happily in our world where individual freedom has been taken over and nothing wrong can happen. This is akin to those desperate and suffering questions about God and why God does not intervene to make everything go well for us, that people do not harm others, that there be no pain and suffering, especially in illness and death. One of the morals of this story is that people want to be able to live in freedom, without the intervention of the aliens in any ‘god-like way’, to make mistakes, to love and assert themselves, not to be body- (and soul) snatched.
Whether audiences will contemplate these issues and see the connections with the film’s plot, one wonders. But, the foundation for thought is there.
This has been quite a theme for writer-director, Andrew Niccol, over 25 years. Audiences did realise these issues in his screenplay for The Truman Show. It features in the films he has directed, the futuristic Gattaca, the artificial, computer-personality, SimOne, the ruthless arms sales in Lord of War and separated communities in an artificial future in In Time.
At the core of the film is the excellent young actress, Saoirse Ronan. She has the difficult task (which she makes quite credible) of playing Melanie, a strong young woman amongst a remnant of humans who have not been taken over. However, she is captured and an alien soul implanted in her. Melanie’s body is the host for the alien. She becomes Wanderer, shortened to Wanda. However, Melanie is still alive within her and speaks to Wanda, confronting her as she gives information about the human remnant from Melanie’s memories to the official Seeker, Diane Kruger (interesting casting giving the pursuant and interrogating role to a woman rather than a man). This makes, of course, for drama and for interesting conversations between the two. It becomes a touch ludicrous when the still teenage Melanie becomes jealous of Wanda’s expressions of affection which are not Melanie’s.
Much of the film takes place in vast caves where a remnant community survive, hiding from the Seekers and shielding their bodies from being given to alien souls. The leader of the community is played by William Hurt, a benign and wise leader. Amongst the community are Melanie’s little brother (Chandler Canterbury), Jared (Max Irons) who loved Melanie and Ian (Jake Abel) who is attracted to Wanda. It is interesting to look at how this community survives underground, with giant reflectors on the walls giving sunlight for crops to grow. The young men venture out to steal from the supermarkets (where everything is free and people are nice and sweet). This does lead to some action as the Seeker pursues one of their trucks and there are chases and crashes.
However, this is a personal drama of Melanie and her struggle for autonomy within Wanda, a community drama of polite body snatchers, except for the Seeker who is conflicted and breaks the bounds of violence in her obsessive pursuit.
The Host is serious-minded, has some humour, especially in Melanie’s jealousy, but comes down on the side of human fragility and freedom rather than a kind of passive heaven on earth.
1. The impact of the film? The work of Andrew Niccol, science-fiction, issues of control and freedom? The work of Stephenie Meyer, her themes? Romantic?
2. The world of the future, the decline of human beings, wasting resources, violence and war? The aliens, their lives on other planets? The seekers and their control?
3. The look of the future, the seekers in their white suits? Offices, medical centres, the streets, supermarkets? Ordinariness? The contrast with the New Mexico Desert, the mountains and mesas, the caves? The highways? The action sequences on the highways? Musical score?
4. The flashbacks, the past with the humans, a remnant, Mel and Jamie, hiding, their father killing himself? The arrival of Jared, his suspicions, the kiss, Melanie’s reaction, and the later recurrence of this theme? The flight? Melanie and her being surrounded, her fighting, her leap from the window, her surviving?
5. The Seeker and Diane Kruger’s performance? A woman in the role instead of a man? Harsh character, relentless, her other helpers? The medical staff, the transfer of the soul? The incisions, the healing? The look of the alien souls, the glow, their receptacles? The seekers and their artificial eyes? The Seeker and her interrogating Wanderer? The decision for the name? Wanting more information? Research with the computers? Working Wanderer in the room, her escape, the pool? The pursuit, the Seeker in the car, discovering the crash, in the helicopter, seeing the reflection of the sun? Pursuing the trucks? With the gun, shooting, her killing of the innocent victim? Her being restricted? Her decision to go out by herself, her killing the human, her being captured?
6. The issue of life, freedom, lack of freedom, conformity and obligation? The introduction and the explanation of the human evil and making a perfect world? Controlling freedom and decision?
7. Wanderer and her escape, the man letting her take his car? Melanie’s comments within? Turning, turning around, the crash? Melanie urging her to walk through the desert, the burning, water? Collapse, her being found?
8. The drama of Melanie being inside, Saoirse Ronan and her ability to create the two characters, her voice speaking to Wanda, guiding her? Wanda and her loss of control, the pencil flying as she drew Jared? Melanie growing stronger? Wanda being the host?
9. The community, surviving, the few numbers? The uncle finding the cave, falling in, deciding to remain there? The building of the mirrors and reflectors? The sun for the crops, the harvesting of the crops? Electricity? Food, the young men in their trucks, robbing the stores? The flow of the water, the danger of the waterfall?
10. The human group, the leader, Melanie’s uncle, his wisdom, his puzzling things out, working out the truth? The young men and referring to Wanda as ‘it’? The woman doing the same? Their attempt at killing her? Jared and the fights? Ian’s attempt on her? Carl coming back, the fight, his going into the water, Wanda’s saving him, not telling the truth about his action?
11. Wanda and Melanie, the dialogue, serious, comic, especially about affections, teenage sexual jealousy? Melanie withdrawing from Wanda for some time? Wanda, surviving, imprisoned, guarded, the food, washing, the new clothes, talking with the leader, offering to help with the harvest? Continued suspicions? The young men changing? Jamie and his being with her?
12. The greater acceptance, the leader knowing that Melanie’s inside, the revelation to Jamie, Melanie and her change of mind, Jared and Ian? The Doctor?
13. The trucks, the men driving, taking the food from the supermarket, the chase, the seeker, the truck and its being caught? The decision to crash rather than be taken?
14. The Doctor, Wanda discovering that he was taking the souls, their being on the floor, the procedure, their deaths?
15. The Seeker being taken, the interrogation, her defiance?
16. Jamie, the harvest, slashing his leg, the need for medication, Wanda going into the town, her deceiving the Doctor, getting the medicine, healing and restoring Jamie?
17. The Seeker, the operation, removing the soul, putting it in the container, sending it to a planet, the long years of the journey? The Seeker recovering her true self, conflicted but knowing why?
18. Wanda, her fate, her decision, the close-up of her face, willing to make the sacrifice for Melanie? The group changing their mind? Melanie’s return?
19. The new body, Ian and his happiness, the attraction to the new Wanda?
20. The finale, the drive, their being stopped, the test of whether they were all human or not, the discovery of wonder, the friendliness, the human and the alien?
21. The hope for harmony in the universe?
