Its mother’s day this weekend, so I thought it was fitting that I review the Korean film ‘Mother’ on today’s show. This film is a thriller so not the type of film you would watch with your mum on mother’s day (LOL!).
‘Mother’ stars Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin as mother and son. Kim plays an unnamed widow who works as a herbalist in a small town in order to support her only son Do-Joon, whom has an intellectual disability. Mother smothers Do-Joon with affection causing dislike from Do-Joon because he wants his independence. Do-Joon’s only friend is Jin-tae, a bad apple in the small town who always gets Do-Joon in trouble.
A high school girl is discovered dead on a building's roof and evidence found at the crime scene points to Do-Joon. Unable to defend himself, police find’s Do-Joon guilty of the crime and throws him in Jail.
His mother believes Do-Joon has been framed and goes to extraordinary lengths to prove his innocence. She constantly asks Do-Joon to remember details of the night the school girl was killed. Do-Joon has trouble recalling because he was drinking earlier in the night.
With no lead to follow, she did unethical things in an effort to collect evidence that will clear her son’s name. The question begs, how far will she go to protect her son?
One of the most fascinating aspects of this film was questioning everyone’s involvement in the crime. Things aren’t what they appear to be, and it was hard to determine who was good and who was bad.
Kim carried the film, moving us when she was vulnerable, frightening us when she was angry. Won Bin proved himself as a serious actor taking on this role. He delivered a compelling performance, especially in the ending scenes.
Interesting and compelling film. 5/5 stars.
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