Review of Mother (2009) by Halfwelshman — 21 Oct 2011
Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho returns with yet another masterful revisionist genre film. He's already tackled the murder-mystery (Memories of Murder) and the monster movie (The Host), now he turns his hand to the thriller.
On the face of it, Mother doesn't appear to have much in common with run-of-the mill thrill-rides, but like it's title character, the film can be deceptive. What could be more thrilling than a Mother's desperate (and sometimes morally questionable) journey to prove her son's innocence? Mother is a taut, grounded psychological thriller with a liberal dose of Bong's trademark jet-black comedy.
There are numerous heart-pounding moments, but also plenty of quieter, well-placed emotional beats to bring you crashing back down to reality. Bong continues to prove he is a master of character - and the mother (Kim Hye-ja) and mentally ill son Doo-joon (Won Bin) are among his finest creations to date.
Kim is simply mesmerising throughout, and while some of the mother's actions are questionable (and others downright evil), you're always on her side - it's a great character. Another fine film a Korean master.
This review of Mother (2009) was written by Halfwelshman on 21 Oct 2011.
Mother has generally received very positive reviews.
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