MOTHER (Korean) (2009)

Another matchless brooding dark drama by Bong Joon Wo, portraying the impulsive and intimate relationship shared between a mother and a son. The film has one of the absolutely intense and brilliant acts of mother I’ve ever seen on screen. Bow down my head to the performance of Kim-Hye-Ja; so breathing natural. She’s the poignant poetry on screen. Bong called her ‘the spiritual mother of South Korea’. She is the widow mother too caring and possessive about her dumb and retarded son who was framed guilty for murder. The rest is how desperate mother can go to save her child. She has to find the real killer to save him.

Now the way Bong played juggling game with the retarded boy’s memory is both surprising and shocking in moments. He kept the mystery and thrill taut with element of Hitchcokian summersault and at the same time kept intact the fine intensity of dark human drama about crime and guilt; where height of possessive love breeds crime, no matter how sane or mature you’re! It has beautiful beginning and has unforgettable ending that gives me goose bump. How better the world would be if we’re able to remove those unwanted dark memories from our lives? What a poetic ending! It would be more appropriate to title it 'Memories of Murder', isn't it? High quality of cinematography and editing is almost taken for granted when you’re watching Korean cinema. It is educating to learn how personal in style and vision these Korean filmmakers are and still they keep intact their particular culture compared to crass commercialized Hollywood films.

Bong surely deserves salute but it's the character and the irreplaceable performance by Kim-Hye-Ja that deserves standing ovation.

Ratings-9/10