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Mother
마더
2009 129 min South Korea R 18+
★8.0
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Trailers
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Description
A mother lives quietly with her son. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and the boy is charged with the murder. Now, it's his mother's mission to prove him innocent.
Budget:
$5M
US Gross:
$551,509
Worldwide:
$17.11M
Starring
Kim Hye-ja
Actor
Won Bin
Actor
Jin Goo
Actor
Awards
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Picture
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Actress
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Screenplay
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Supporting Actor
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Director
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Screenplay
Asian Film Academy 2010
— Best Film Editing
Key opinion
Bong Joon-ho’s Mother is a haunting, genre-defying masterpiece that explores the destructive limits of maternal devotion. While praised for its exceptional lead performance and atmospheric tension, the film’s tonal shifts between dark humor and intense drama evoke polarizing reactions regarding its narrative focus.
| Acting | Kim Hye-ja delivers a transformative, powerful central performance that serves as the film's undeniable emotional anchor. | |
| Cinematography | Bong Joon-ho expertly utilizes atmospheric cinematography and a evocative score to build persistent, suffocating tension. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative’s extreme tonal shifts—transitioning from slapstick, quirky humor to brutal, tragic thriller—are perceived as either masterfully seamless or jarringly intrusive. | |
| Ending | The ending provides a shocking, morally complex resolution that effectively challenges the audience's perception of justice and maternal love. | |
| Theme | The film’s deep exploration of obsessive, irrational maternal instincts leaves viewers divided on whether the story achieves a coherent thematic takeaway or remains an ambiguous portrait of madness. |