Written by Bong Joon-ho, Eun-kyo Park &  Wun-kyo Park | Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Rating: ★★★★★

“Parasite” wasn’t Bong Joon-ho’s first meticulously exploring themes of poverty and injustice with artistic finesse. “Mother” stands as an equally innovative venture, seamlessly existing as a blend of comedy, drama, and thriller. Within this intricately constructed mystery, the protagonist utilizes maternal love to shed light on her son’s shadowed criminal case. Bong crafts a narrative so skillful that it could earn admiration from Alfred Hitchcock himself. Accompanied by strangely upbeat music, the film starts with a dry and minimalist tone, mirroring the authenticity of our reality. As the story unfolds, absurdities multiply, and ironies appear in a cascade of cinematic brilliance.

Often disturbing and uncomfortable. “Mother” is an emotionally charged and deeply psychological look at the unconditional love a mother has for her child and the lengths she will go to protect him. Although the production is set in a small South Korean town, its social commentary is impressively broad. Kim Hye-ja gives a monumental and fierce performance as an unnamed character, she is simply: Mother. And that’s not counting her performance in “Our Blues”, already comment here that her scene with Lee Byung-hun is one of the most beautiful artistic interpretations I have ever seen. Another production that followed the same line was the series “The Good Bad Mother!”

Ultimately, it’s a curious film, alternately stunning and frustrating. Masterfully explores the unfair treatment given to disabled people by an ignorant and indifferent society through a story that, from the beginning, shows signs of originality. Nothing is certain here, not even the film’s genre, and little is explained, although it is richly and reliably drawn. The characters often exhibit opaque and mysterious traits, with strangely curious outbursts of behavior. Yet, it’s precisely this mystery that lends them a terrifyingly authentic quality.

Credits: CJ Entertainment