Film Review: Mother (Madeo)

How far can a mother go to protect her son? In the Korean film Mother, we are shown the full extent of a mother's unconditional love, which dives into a dark world of sleaze, secrets, and perhaps murder.

The film presents a sobering and fascinating case: a mother's mentally-impaired son gets drunk one night and follows a girl to a dark alley. The next morning, she's found dead on the rooftop, and the son is charged with murder. What's a mother to do, especially when lawyers and police won't help?

What makes this film so rich and compelling are its characters. From the opening scene onward, the film is packed with nuances that bring each character to life, and each detail contributes to the overall story in very subtle ways. A lot of it are clues that tie together into a complete picture in the end. But it's the motivations and impulses of the characters that drive the story through all its twists. The climax is a series of revelations and resolutions that tie everything up sublimely, but will haunt you with its simple, underlying premise: there is no limit to how far a mother will go.

This film strikes a pretty even pace for its entire two-hour runtime. Some subplots linger, but most of the picture remains engrossing thanks to its style, editing, and story. With the way it packs in so much, the film feels longer than it is. It's hardly a bad thing: it is a sublime picture with superb photography (save for a few very shaky scenes), snappy editing, and plenty of very real-looking settings, props, and costumes. The music score is decent too.

All the characters are brought to life perfectly by their respective actors, but Kim Hye-ja dominates the spotlight as the title character. She not only looks motherly (to the point where she could represent anybody's mom), she also brims with emotion and vitality. In the end, it's her character that gives the film its bittersweet heart: whether it's the opening image of her dancing in the field or lashing out violently at someone, it's always evocative, knowing that everything she does is out of unconditional love for her son.

This is one of the finest examples of a character-driven mystery thriller. It's bleak, often disturbing, but also poetic and dense. If you can handle the tone, this film is highly recommended!

5/5