SYNOPSIS:
Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison d’être. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naïve and dependent on his mother, and sometimes behaves in ways that are stupid or simply dangerous. He is a constant source of anxiety for everyone. One day a young girl is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force that closes Do-joon’s case too quickly inspire his mother to act on her own—to act as Mother in its purest form. Summoning all her maternal instincts and trusting no one, she sets out to find a killer and prove her son’s innocence.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Bong Joon-ho’s new feature film after his phenomenally successful monster smash of a movie “The Host” is a carefully crafted suspense thriller that like his earlier work skilfully defies genre conventions. On the surface, it is the story of a mother’s search for the identity of the killer behind the murder of whom her son has been accused of; but really, one should know Joon-ho better than to expect a straightforward crime procedural.
In a brilliant opening, Joon-ho introduces his audience to the mother-son pair (played by Kim Hye-Ja and Won Bin respectively). Mother watches over her mentally-challenged Do-Joon (Won Bin) as he hangs out with his violent, bad-tempered loutish friend Jin-tae (Jin Goo). When a luxury car accidentally knocks Do-joon over but runs off immediately, Mother runs out frantically as Jin-tae sets off with Do-joon in pursuit to confront the driver.
You never quite know how this confrontation is going to play out, or whether it is related to the main story, but in these few minutes, you learn two things- first, the three main characters around which the whole movie will revolve and their respective personalities; and second, you’ll never quite be able to fathom where the movie is headed. True to that expectation, Joon-ho’s film continues to surprise at every turn, right up till the twist ending that despite its controversial nature, is in this reviewer’s opinion, simply outstanding.
Why “Mother” is constantly surprising lies in Joon-ho’s approach of letting his characters and their own various quirks drive the story and how it unfolds. Instead of tantalizing his audience of what actually happened, Joon-ho keeps a tight focus on the motivations of Mother as she is driven by her intense and unquestionable love for her son to dig deeper and deeper into something sinister and eerie. Joon-ho effectively builds a sense of foreboding throughout the entire movie, and each step that Mother takes which brings her closer to the truth only adds to the wrought-tight tension of the film. It is also precisely this character-driven drama that gives weight to the contentious ending which some will no doubt find upsetting.
One would probably already have heard the acclaim behind Kim Hye-Ja’s portrayal of the central character in the story and indeed, Hye-Ja deserves every one of the accolades. Hers is a beautifully calibrated performance that captures not only her character’s desperation, but also the myriad emotions of fear, agony and disappointment as the truth turns out far uglier than she could have anticipated. Won Bin too deserves praise for his nuanced portrayal of the dim-witted Do-joon, sidestepping caricature to deliver a heartfelt performance.
And with “Mother” therefore, Bong Joon-ho continues to assert himself as a talented director not afraid to defy genre conventions. “The Host” had both comedy and drama in an engaging crowd-pleasing monster flick; while “Mother” is at once a thriller and a drama peppered with Joon-ho’s characteristic dark humour. It may not be straightforward entertainment like “The Host” is, but “Mother” is tautly crafted and immensely engaging and a sure-fire antidote to the stale genre-safe thrillers of today.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Just the film’s trailer and a photo gallery of stills from the film.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 uses a surround experience to crank up the suspense at parts. Picture is clear and sharp with good contrast in the film’s night scenes.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
Posted on 18 April 2010
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