Mother

Mother is an interesting little Korean thriller from internationally acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong, the man behind the freshly conceived monster movie 'The Host'. Here he tones down themes from the outlandish monster to something strictly human, the act of murder. Early on in the film a woman is walking home alone at night only to be discovered the following morning in a small Korean town. The suspects are quickly rounded up and the man all the evidence points to is semi-retarded played with a wonderful sense of childlike vulnerability by Bin Won. He is eventual put into prison much to the dismay of his mother (Hye-ja Kim), who is convinced of her only sons innocence. What begins to unfold is the story of a mother doing everything in her power to save her son from a life of imprisonment. How far is too far when it comes to matters of righting a matter of injustice. With Bong's unique visual style, simple shots of weeds and walls are turned into images of startling originality and beauty. Only to be made all the more fascinating when dealing with the cold topics of murder, guilt, and innocence.

B

2010