Summary
A mother desperately searches for a killer so that she can free her mentally-handicapped son, who has been accused of murder.
My Thoughts:
Mother is Bong Joon-Ho's fourth feature film, but it feels like something done by a Hollywood elite like Spielberg or Scorsese, it's an intense character study of one mother's (Hye-Ja Kim, “Late Autumn”) quest to prove her mentally challenged son Yoon Do-Joon (Won Bin, “The Man from Nowhere”) innocent after he is charged with the murder of a local woman. It tackles themes of unconditional love, good vs evil, and the perseverance of the human spirit. It's a nail biting thriller, but at the same time it weaves together a tapestry of humor and love that is hidden underneath the gloomy dread. Going into Mother I had no idea what to expect, and at the end I was nearly in tears at the cathartic conclusion, it's full of twists and turns and makes for one of the best murder mystery thrillers of the early 2000s.
When we are first introduced to mother, she sees her son almost get hit by a car while chopping vegetables, she becomes nearly hysterical as she watches the car that she gives herself a good slash on the finger, she runs out to comfort Do-Joon thinking her own blood is his, and he quickly runs off with his friend. The very first scene is a testament to Mother's character throughout the film, and also giving us our relatable protagonist. While her son Do-Joon isn't quite as relatable, it's easy to feel empathy for his character, he's easily manipulated by his friends as his intellect is below that of most, the time leading up to the events of the murder there is an underlying sense of dread that follows Do-Joon, and we in the audience can only wait for that fateful moment, and when it does the narrative explodes into a complex murder mystery surrounding Do-Joon, his mother and a few others who may just be framing her son.
Mother is most like 'Memories of Murder' in the sense that it's a murder mystery film that is heavily character driven, but it also has some comparisons to 'Parasite' as well, in that just about exactly halfway through there is a tonal shift and things start to become very serious, and almost sinister, even the start of Do-Joon’s arrest is filled with humor, like when he takes off his face mask to wave at the girl he likes, even though he's showing the cops how the murdered body was staged. While Joon-Ho's films are always filled with humor, once Mother discovers that her son's friend in fact did not commit the murder, the investigation becomes a race against time to save her son, and what was once hopeful, turns to dread. Joon-Ho does this with seamless ease, as he does blending the humor with the horror, with plot twists that keeps the viewer engaged and guessing until the end.
Not only is Mother a message of love for Bong Joon-Ho's own mother, but for all the loving, and compassionate mother's around the world who will go to the world's end for their children, even if the circumstances aren't looking up. It's a beautiful message inside of a dark and grim world, although shot with haunting expertise Mother tackles issues that no mother wants to subject themselves to, but does so in earnest, headstrong fashion. And while mysteries are revealed, the ending is just vague enough to leave the viewer wondering and pondering the murder, but also left with a sense of catharsis for our mother and son bond when Do-Joon gives mother the acupuncture case, that scene still gives me chills when I think about as everything comes to a close, and were left with nothing but music and credits. It's a wonderfully written script, air tight and intense throughout its entirety, every set up being paid off with satisfying results, this is an early masterpiece for the great Bong Joon-Ho.
Overall Mother is one of the best murder mystery thrillers that I've personally seen in a long time, from the hypnotic opening dance scene to bookended bus dance, this film is a complete package, filled with humor and wit, but underlined with dread and dispair, showcasing a mother's love that only they could understand, bleeding with raw emotion and perseverance to clear her son's name, it's a brutally honest tale of blame and suffering, but with cracks and gaps of hope to bring together a truly wonderful story with an unforgettable ending, filled with strong narrative twists and stronger pay offs, Mother is an early home run for Bong Joon-Ho and I strongly recommend it to any crime thriller fan.
I give Mother 5 stars out of 5.
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