Bong Joon-Ho “Mother”
Two weeks ago I went to see Bong Joon-Ho’s 2009 film “Mother” at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) follow by a Q & A with the director. In the same week Kim Yu-Na won gold medal for women’s figure skating and on the following week art week in New York City introduced Korean Art Fair and last week Samsung technologies introduced the very first 3D home television and let’s not forget the Kogi Truck. Korea is dominating the Asian Culture and the world, with every industry you can name or unnamed of.
Bong Joon-Ho best known for The Host a top Korean grossing film at the box office latest film “Mother” is visually breathtaking and the story is compelling. The film opens in a wide angle with the mother walking quietly towards the camera through a mid-waist height grain field. Minutes later the mother breaks into a folk dance.–very odd and I love it! It’s drama with part humor, part detective and part thriller. The story is complex with so many layers and with top notch actors it keeps the audience intrigued. “Mother” titled is about a single mother played by Kim Hye-Ja with a mentally challenged son Do-Joon played by Won-Bin who one day was accused for murdering a school girl. Unable to defend himself and with a corrupt and useless legal system the mother goes to the extreme in every way to prove his son’s innocence, even if it means sacrificing her own innocence in turning herself into a murderer.
Bong Joon-Ho Centered
The mother was never given a name in the film and the reason is to intend for the audience to associate “Mother” as all mother. The mother figure is overprotective, nurturing, and maybe a little psycho. The director said after he made “Mother” and invited his mother to see his film, his mother did not speak with him for over 6 months. See it on Mother’s Day or see it now at IFC opens March 12, 2010.
iLuvPotato 
wow! I wanted to go!! I tried to rent “Mother” from Netflix but it did not come out yet. Thank you for posting this one 😉
Yeah, I first heard about the film in NYFF around Sept/Oct 2009 but by the time I heard of it, the film festival was over. I tried renting it too but it is not available on dvd yet. I was glad I stumbled on the BAM Cinematik ad in Time Out NY and caught it. BAM is terrific and has an excellent taste on foreign film. They also have opera, plays, and mainstream movies. It’s truly what going to the movies is all about. No need for IMAX, 3D screen projectors. A good film and coziness is a true escape.
Now you made me curious about seeing it. I will mention the movie to our mutual Korean pal and I bet you a samosa and a burrito that he will come up with something negative to say about it!
so if Sung likes the film you owe me a samosa and a burrito? the bet is on!
I love the film “Mother” but I think there are some flaws where one part did not connect for me and a couple of scenes are very common solutions in Korean pictures in relation to Park Chan Wook “Lady Vengence.” Other than that I think the film and the title is striking more so than say “Valentine’s Day,” “Remember Me” or “Date Night”