Mother

Mar 21

Jan 17

Mother

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
South Korea • 2008 • in Korean • 129 min • R

Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison d’être. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naïve and dependent on his mother, and a constant source of anxiety, often behaving in ways that are foolish or simply dangerous. Walking home alone one night down a nearly empty city street, he encounters a young girl who he follows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. Thanks to an inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force, Do-joon’s case is quickly closed, but his mother refuses to let this be the end of the story. Trusting no one, Hye-ja’s maternal instincts kick into overdrive, and she sets out to find the girl’s killer and prove her son’s innocence.

Club reactions by city:

Mar 21

CINEMETER	80%

55 out of 69 participating members called it excellent or good
92.8% would recommend it • most praised for its Cinematography

moderated by Tasha Oren

A good example noting people are capable of anything depending on the circumstance.

Loved it! Stunning visuals.

A little too vulgar in translation.

Jan 17

CINEMETER	86%

84 out of 98 participating members called it excellent or good
87% would recommend it • most praised for its Cinematography

moderated by Peter L. Stein

Talk about being taken to a different place in a movie! Excellent thriller - a Korean Hitchcockian movie. This is the kind of movie we have been hoping to see at Cinema Club.

Wow! How cool to see a Korean film in the style of Almodovar! The actress who played the lead was dynamite - I am still not sure if she was stressed or truly nuts.

Developed slowly into one of the best 'whodunit' stories I've ever seen! Will beocme a modern classic, or at least it should. A stunning and powerful film, with beautiful imagery.