SummaryThe latest film from award-winning Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host) is a unique murder mystery about a mother's primal love for her son. Mother is a devoted single parent to her simple-minded twenty-seven-year-old son, Do-joon. Often a source of anxiety to his mother, Do-joon behaves in foolish or simply dangerous ways. One night, while wa... Read More
Directed By:Bong Joon Ho
Written By:Bong Joon Ho, Eun-kyo Park
Mother
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.1
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
87% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
13% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
An alluring piece of work, an artful whodunit that melds shrewd plotting with resourceful camera work and sympathetic characters that are fascinatingly, morbidly off.
91
Again as with Bong's earlier films, Mother is a genre exercise that honors convention, yet weaves around it whenever possible. Bong carefully turns Mother into a classic gumshoe tale, with red herrings, interrogations, and moments of sublime suspense.
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.1
93% Positive
120 Ratings
120 Ratings
4% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
3% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
May 8, 2020
10
With Mother, Bong Joon Ho delivers another strange genre blend. Mother is a crime movie, but it is also a character study and in parts a psychological thriller. The movie first follows Do-Joon (Won Bin), the mentally challenged young adult son of a single mom (Kim Hye-ja). Do-Joon is easily duped and has the mental capacities of middle to an early high schooler, despite being in his twenties. The narrative shift focus to the mother after Do-Joon is convicted of the murder of a young girl. Shortly before her murder, Do-Joon was drunkenly returning home, vaguely following her, because he liked her. What follows is the epic journey of a single mom, downtrodden by media, society, and the economy, trying to prove her son’s innocence and catch the real culprit. The movie takes this somewhat simple narrative and uses it to explore the faults with the criminal justice system, class warfare, and ableism. Just when the viewer thinks they have caught onto where the movie is going, the movie reveals new details subverting the narrative and tropes. Mother has many things to say, but the most potent of which is a meta-critique given at the last moment. Mother shows the power that enough dedication to a task can have, but it also shows the futility and consequences of the dedication.
Apr 9, 2011
10
South Korean cinema has always been my favourite. They've produced such gems as "Oldboy", "Samaritan Girl" and "A Tale of Two Sisters" and none of them ever cease to amaze me. Joon-ho Bong's "Mother" reminds me of the Coen Brothers' "Fargo" (one of my all-time favourite films) in many ways. It juggles genres effortlessly and excels in every single one of them. At times, "Mother" is a hair-raising thriller, but at other times it has wonderfully witty comedic tones. At its heart, however, the film is an oddball murder mystery led by an incredibly beautiful performance from South Korean soap opera star Hye-ja Kim. Edited and shot with dynamic precision, "Mother" is not only too gorgeous for words, it's also easily one of the best films of 2010.
88
The easy comparison here is to Hitchcock, but Bong moves at a slower pace, more like Claude Chabrol.
80
A chilling, intense character study.
75
The movie's utter lack of predictability helps to keep you engaged, even if some of the plot turns are a bit baffling, and the unusual depth and complexity of the characters -- the eponymous heroine in particular -- give the picture its unusual, scalding power. You've never met a mother quite like this one.
70
The fact that Mother keeps its balance is a tribute to the leading actress.
40
Bong is so concerned with whodunit that his creaky genre mechanics diminish Kim's determined performance.
Dec 17, 2012
9
I must say I found this a really great watch! Aside from the many cultural nuances, of which there are many, I found it a riveting tale with some very nice twists. Beautifully shot with a very nice musical score by Byung-woo Lee, I found it easy to follow (despite the inconvenience of subtitles). All the performances were excellent but I must pull out Hye-ja Kim for her tremendous portrayal of this driven woman, a great piece of work! Over all, it
Jun 6, 2011
6
It is a very strange movie. The way the mother is treated makes you wonder how the Koreans treat each other in normal life. It is also a creepy movie, not really a thriller or horror movie, but the movie oozes an atmosphere of gloom and doom. And the ending is surprising. Recommended.
Jan 17, 2011
3
Too long. Too disinteresting. Too many tries to get all the way through it (five). The acting and cinematography are top notch, but the movie is ultimately one to avoid (nowhere near as good as the director's film The Host).
Nov 30, 2010
1
Awful, just plain awful. I could not even finish this movie. I tried to watch it for three nights in a row and only got through about half of it total. Don't bother.
Jul 23, 2020
0
C'est une mère-poule névropathe aux 400 coups pour son rejeton carrément débile sur les bords (et au milieu) qui se retrouve au très grand insu de son plein gré mêlé à une histoire de meurtre... Complètement à côté de ses pompes, ce jeune rain man dort avec sa maman (sic !) et son "meilleur" pote est un petit loubard à la petite semaine. Partant de là, ce merdier dramatico-psycho-social est délayé sur deux plombes qui semblent en durer six... je ne sais pas sur quoi ça débouche parce que je me suis endormi et que j'ai tiré la chasse. A noter que c'est fréquemment filmé caméra à l'épaule, ce qui file la nausée et le mal de mer(de). De ce que j'ai vu, la maman paniquée plutôt toquée et frappadingue met tout en oeuvre pour aider son fils mongolo... mais de toute façon, on a déjà zappé cette daube coréenne, cela va sans dire !
Production Company:
- CJ Entertainment
- Barunson E&A
Release Date:Mar 12, 2010
Duration:2 h 8 m
Rating:R
Tagline:She'll stop at nothing.
Website:
Awards
Blue Dragon Awards
• 3 Wins & 8 Nominations
Asian Film Awards
• 3 Wins & 6 Nominations
Grand Bell Awards, South Korea
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
