Korean director Joon-ho Bong has surely proven to be a versatile director with his new film Mother. The Host, which he made in 2006, was an entertaining twist on the “Japanese monster” film and the stimulus for the American film, Cloverfield. It was a monster film with thought. So as I began to watch Mother I was led to believe we would be watching a film classified as Asian horror. I was wrong. Mother is surprisingly crafted to make you laugh in a disturbed mindset, while at the same time emotionally invest in characters who may or may not be in denial of their own actions.
The main question asked in this film is “how far would you go for your only son?”. Yoon Do-joon, son of the unnamed mother, is confused, to say the least. The film never acknowledges his mental condition from a straightforward perspective. He has the tendencies of a lemming. In other words, if somebody told him to jump off a bridge, he’d do it. A series of escalating events begins with his friend breaking the right-side mirror of a Benz. He is then ratted out by his friend and admits to the guilt. His mother can’t blame him, and here we begin to notice how awkwardly sensual the relationship between Yoon and his mother is. The mother, in constant denial of her son’s actions, begins to show the lengths one goes for the innocence of their own flesh and blood when accusations of murder become involved.I
I’m not an avid Korean film watcher but I’ve seen my share, and Mother is an example of how excellent the psychological mind thriller can be. Mother is also beautifully shot. Although throughout the film I felt compacted into rooms, cells, and narrow alleyways, I can’t complain. The close quarters allowed me to feel more as one with the Korean community rather than being allowed to view the society as a whole. Though the film is never gruesome in terms of violence, its method of creating a disturbed web of emotion within the mind is very well done. So if you’re looking for a film that pokes the thought rather than your stomach, Mother is a good option. – [DVD]
Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 7/20/10