“Mother” combines family drama, murder mystery, horror and dark comedy into a suspenseful and intelligent thriller. The premise is deceptively simple: how far will a mother go to protect her child and prove him innocent of a crime?
In the hands of the talented Korean director, Bong Joon-ho, the mother is a lonely and overly-protective woman whose life is devoted to caring for her mentally disabled twenty-something son, Do-Joon. One day a young girl from the neighborhood is found brutally murdered and, based on flimsy circumstantial evidence, Do-Joon is hastily charged with the crime. Faced with a lackadaisical police system and a lazy lawyer, the mother has no recourse but to investigate the crime herself and will stop at nothing to prove her son’s innocence.
As with his previous work, Bong Joon-ho weaves together an exciting, off-kilter psychological thriller filled with mysterious characters, surprising twists and turns, stellar performances and underlying social commentary (in this case, a critique of the criminal justice system). Especially noteworthy is Kim Hye-ja’s performance as the mother: she adeptly embodies a mother’s loving and protective aspects while expressing a subtle undercurrent of hysteria that drives her obsession to free her son. Bin Won, apparently cast against type as he’s considered the “hot guy” in Korea, also gives a moving performance as Do-Joon: a gentle, innocent and moody man-boy who remains an enigma. Kudos must also be given to the cinematography: the use of distorted angles and a muted blue/gray color palette effectively communicate the film’s dark and disturbing tone.
