It’s true, Bong Joon-ho’s Mother — a thrilling blend of horror and I Remember Mama — is only in limited release at the moment, and expanding slowly. It is, however, available on cable on demand and [Update: release pending] I’m here to tell you to demand it, and watch it, twice. Use the first viewing to absorb the slippery facts in the story, about a Korean schoolgirl found murdered in an abandoned building. A 27-year-old man of limited mental ability is charged with the crime. His mother dedicates herself to proving her son’s innocence…and to finding a killer.
Then use the second viewing to revel in the breathtaking sharpness, wit, and elegance of the filmmaking — the work of one of the coolest international cinema artists working today. Bong’s ability to play one tone against another (comedy and suspense, horror and melancholy, social commentary and melodrama) is like the talent of a great jazz master working in simultaneous contrasting rhythms, and every little riff carries meaning. (There are no wasted shots, no lazy moments in his composition.) We focus on the mother –played with zest and conviction by Korean TV and movie veteran Kim Hye-ja — as a monster as well as a kind of saint, a sweet little traditional lady first seen chopping herbs (how domestic, like a scene out of a Korean folktale!) as well as a new kind of feminine power. But as he did in his previous, boundary-breaking horror masterpiece The Host, and before that in Memories of Murder, Bong also fills his story with a lively menagerie of secondary characters (not to mention fully fashioned blink-and-they’re gone characters), all of whom contribute to the filmmaker’s ongoing sketchbook on a theme of Korean society. Mother takes time for businessmen on a golf course, schoolgirls with mobile phones, cops who cut corners, and a junk-collecting hermit. And Mother‘s particular mother shows her maternal obsession not only when defending her son against the outside world, but also when monitoring his eating habits at home. Oh, and wait ’til you see her dance. You’ve never seen dancing look so mysterious. Watch and tell me if you don’t agree.
Lisa, you are an oasis of taste and sophistication in the cultural wasteland of Entertainment Weekly. This once good magazine continues to lower its quality standards and cover nothing but crap but you continue to make the coverage of good films a priority. To bad they only give you 30 words to cover any film that isn’t Twilight. At least we can take refuge in your blog posts.
YES! Exactly! I don’t always agree with Lisa’s assessments, but I’m always thrilled I’m reading something that’s not referring to Twilight or American Idol.
geez matt twilight was not even brought up and you are already thinking about it ,not very much obssesed are you stupid .no wonder its popular bcos people like you keep bringing it up when the article doesn,t even arrant it idiot.
Here, Here. Very refreshing to see something totally unrelated to reality TV. Take note EW! Thanks Lisa..This was an awesome film.
Agreed. I’ve commented on Lisa’s reviews, often negatively, and she’s occasionally been gracious enough to reply to my postings in a very warm and professional way defending her writing. But I very much value her judgment and appreciate the intelligence she brings to the often demoralizing world of popular culture.
wow. kudos to EW for giving a shout-out to an actual, pretty damn good movie. good on ya, lisa.
Is there some sort of conspiracy to prevent good movies like that to not be watched by the public? By the way, The Ghost Writer is coming to my theater this Friday, anyone here recomend it?
I thought The Host was great- clever, fun, thoughtful. Thanks for the heads up, EW!
And kudos to you for featuring a director who’s neither completely mainstream nor the edgy auteur that only critics understand. Bong really balances everything, and I think your advice to watch it twice really makes sense. Just when the trailers for Bounty Hunter had me all depressed… you cheered me up and I know what my friends and I are watching on our movie night.
The Host is really good. EW should report on more movies that are getting a lot of buzz overseas. If it did maybe pop culture over here wouldn’t be so brain dead.
I will definitely check this movie out. I loved The Host and Memories of Murder. Bong Joon-Ho is becoming one of my favorite directors.
Looking forward to seeing it. It’s coming to Columbus in the coming weeks
I saw this movie during a film festival in Chicago and I don’t know if I understood or appreciated the whole movie. I loved the characters and the mystery, but the dancing really bothered me. I just can’t imagine anyone ever dancing like right after the previous scene. But it still makes me think about the movie, even if not in the best light.
I have to see this one….sounds so refreshing and extra-ordinary film….
God, my bf is OBSESSED with this movie! If you really want a good foreign film try to check out “Fish Story” about a punk band who saves the world with only one song and “Love Exposure.” It’s a four hour epic but it doesn’t seem like four hours. It;s about a boy whose father is a priest and wants his father to sin so his son starts taking panty shots of girls on the street. Soon though, he finds his true love in Yoko, who is super cool because her fave musicians include Patti Smith, Blondie, and Kurt Cobain. It’s not your typical love story that’s for sure. Granted it is foreign and hardly any foreign love stories are typical.
I saw this at the New York Film Festival and was really disappointed. The whole first sequence of the movie (i.e. the hit-and-run-golf-course scene) should have been cut and the murder should have been more than it was. I got really ramped up for something great and I was caught with something mediocre. review here: http://www.flickpickmonster.com/2009/10/mother.html