Mother (2009)
Another great slow burn thriller with dark humor from the director of acclaimed Asian films like
The Host and
Memories of Murder.
When her mentally handicapped son is arrested for the murder of a school girl, the boy's over protective mother believes that the police have made a mistake and that he is being made a scapegoat for their lazy, sloppy investigation. When the police, who are convinced they have the right suspect-her son, won't help her, mother takes matters into her own hands, finding potential clues that turn out to be mostly red herrings and dead ends. Director Joon-ho Bong retreads much of the same territory as he did in "Memories of Murder," but in a slower, more straightforward fashion, instead of focusing on the cops' perspective, this time the spotlight is on the mother of the murder suspect.
The film opens with a lyrical shot of a middle aged woman slowly approaching the camera in some seemingly idyllic rural setting. She begins to dance as the credits roll. Then we cut, back to find that woman as a mother in her business & keeping an eye on her errant son in the street. Tracking through the story with her provides thrills and shocks and more than a bit of bone grating violence in the rather graphic fashion. But there's again quite some mastery here in telling the story.
What makes this film stand alone is its tenacity. It doesn't let you go, it keeps on trying in the form of the mother attempting to follow every trail. It's a great premise and you are kept guessing throughout but you can't predict the ending.
Like MOM, all the actors did a great job here too..specially the woman who played the title character gave a top notch performance.
Overall, it may not as great as MOM but surely another very promising & good film from the same maker.
>>: A-