Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: “The Chaser”, “By The Pricking Of My Thumbs”, “Memories Of Murder”

"Mother" (Korean: "Madeo") is one of those R-rated, CAT III Korean movies with a very Hitchcockian international feel, which is why it is South Korea's official submission to the 2010 Oscars for Best Foreign Language Pic. After the director's high-grossing creature feature "The Host" (2006), talented director Bong Joon-ho returns with a surrealistic psychodrama mystery that is at once suspenseful, artistic and of course, incredibly original.

Boasting a powerhouse performance by legendary TV actress Kim Hye-ja as an unlicensed acupuncturist in a rural settlement, this movie is about a devoted mother with a somewhat mentally-challenged son named Yoon Do-joon (Won Bin), who becomes the chief suspect for the murder of a young girl. Stylistically similar to the filmmaker's "Memories Of Murder" but not risking any spoilers, the story progresses with elements of sexual promiscuity, village sentiment, maternal love and human guilt, not to mention crime and punishment. It's highly engrossing flow and execution then culminates in a shocking anti-twist that must surely be remembered only too well by those who are putting this film down as something like a modern masterpiece in thriller narration.

Visually rich and intriguing, "Mother" evokes the same construction and deconstruction in contemporary movies like "Old Boy", "Bad Guy" and "The Chaser" but its introspective reach is more immediate, satisfying and accomplished. For a 128-minutes movie, this is value-for-money at the cinemas.


Cinema Online, 28 January 2010