MOTHER

Korea, 2009, 129 minutes, Colour.
Kim Hye- Ja, Won Bin.
Directed by Bong Joon- Ho.

When the Koreans go for broke in horror and/or absurd scenarios, they make films like Mother (and this director's The Host).

Mother, who shows she is quaintly peculiar (at least) dancing in a vast field during the opening credits, is ultra-protective of her mentally impaired son. After he is injured in a hit-run incident and, with his friend, follows the car to the exclusive golf course for revenge, he is accused of the murder of a promiscuous student, arrested and imprisoned. Mother cannot believe it and goes on a crusade and some detective work herself, turning up evidence and information about extra elements of abuse and violence. Some of this information has a powerful effect on her for the worst.

Mother takes its place among a continually increasing number of crime/absurdist/horror touches Korean films.

1.The work of the director? The blend of the absurd, horror, comic? How well did they combine here?

2.The settings: the open and vast fields, the town, the countryside? The interiors in the town, homes, the streets, the police precincts, prison? The musical score?

3.An authentic feel? Yet the exaggerated, melodramatic and comic touches?

4.The mother, central, her behaviour at the opening, dancing in the field? Her protection of her son, cooking at home, seeing the hit-run accident, her upset? His friends? The arrest? Her protesting her son’s innocence? Her concern, the friend, with the golf club, seeing him with the girl? With the court, the lawyer, the damages for the wealthy men insulted and hurt at the golf club? Her further investigations about the crime, about the young girl, about her mobile phone and the photos, the young boys and the interrogation? Her getting further information, the grandmother? Getting the phone? Taking the phone to her son, identifying the old man? His having sold her an umbrella, going to see him in his junkyard house, the explanation, the guilt of her son? Her setting the house on fire? Leaving her acupuncture needles? Her son finding them? Her going on the holiday in the bus, not joining in the songs, using the acupuncture needle that erased memories? Her finally dancing – as she did at the beginning?

5.The young man, mentally impaired, with the dog in the street, the hit-run, going with his friend to the golf club, smashing the mirror on the car? Confronting the businessmen and professors? In the court? The need for money, his mother not having it? His wanting to be with a girl? His friend? Going up the steps after the drinking, seeing the young girl? The flashback, her throwing the rock at him, his throwing it back and her death, dragging her upstairs? Letting her hang – and his speculating that the reasons were so that she would be found quickly? In prison, his release, going with his friend to the junkyard, finding his mother’s needles?

6.The friend, going to the golf course, confronting the professors? The damages? His relationship with the girl? His urging the mother to seek the killer?

7.The lieutenant, the sergeant, the crimes chief? Their investigations?

8.The attorney, helping the mother in the court case? The settlement? His interest in the case, his interrogation of the young boys?

9.The mother’s friend, the acupuncture, the photos and her enlarging the photos, her support of the mother?

10.The flashbacks to the girl herself, promiscuous, her school friends? Her death?

11.The combination of crime investigation, comedy, with the horror touches?