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Mother

Play trailer Poster for Mother R Released Mar 12, 2010 2h 8m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
96% Tomatometer 120 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A widow (Kim Hye-ja) resides with her mentally challenged son (Won-bin) in a small South Korean town, where she scrapes out a living selling medicinal herbs. Mother and son are plunged into a nightmare when the body of a murdered young girl is discovered. Circumstantial evidence indicates the son's involvement, and he becomes the prime suspect during the sloppy police investigation. Betrayed by the legal system, the mother takes the law into her own hands to clear her son's name.
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Mother

Mother

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Critics Consensus

As fleshy as it is funny, Bong Joon-Ho's Mother straddles family drama, horror and comedy with a deft grasp of tone and plenty of eerie visuals.

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Critics Reviews

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Megan Ratner Film Comment Magazine The film wears its aesthetic sophistication lightly ( ... ) Bong takes the idea of the primacy of perception over reality to its ultimate extreme. Jan 2, 2016 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Bong's opening and climactic scenes, in which the old woman bops around to a dance tune amid a vast field of yellow grass, are typical of the movie's cockeyed poetry. Dec 30, 2010 Full Review Jonathan Crocker Little White Lies Another quality Bong hit. Rated: 4/5 Aug 20, 2010 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm . . . it’s as if a dark tragedy has been cast with lovable clowns. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 5, 2025 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film Mother is equal parts funny, engaging, and disgusting. Feb 20, 2024 Full Review Ray Pride Newcity Approaches the intensity of... <I>Vengeance is Mine</I>, but Bong’s mix of bumptious humor and strong plotting [leads] to a musical climax that’s the cinematic equivalent of acupuncture, releasing all the knots, gliding into a glorious sunset. Rated: 10/10 May 14, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M Bong Joon-ho seemingly approached both “Primal Fear” and the Hitchcockian “Psycho” but tautly layered in brewing the leaned maternal disturbance over the ugly truth through tonal distortion with evocative twists effectively obscured and brilliantly acted over characterized comprehension, even if the psychological study and reactive revelation may not sit satisfyingly well. (B+) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/16/25 Full Review Yash B Bong Joon Ho's 2009 film, "Mother," is dark and thought-provoking like a lot of his other work. This movie is much more focused on one relationship and two characters which made it feel smaller in scale than some of the others. The film made me think it was going to play out one way but ultimately went in a direction I didn't expect, which somehow made it even more impactful. I think the main actress in this movie is excellent and her layered portrayal keeps the movie interesting. Overall, it is a film that is undeniably bleak, but also challenges the viewer to ask many moral questions which makes it a worthwhile and fascinating watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/09/25 Full Review K Y What it means to be a MOTHER. Bong is a genius. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/06/25 Full Review Otávio A An exceptional film with a unique and captivating pace. The story is packed with unexpected twists that keep you glued to the screen from start to finish. The protagonist’s portrayal of the mother is a masterstroke, delivering a subtle yet deeply compelling performance that unravels layers of emotion and intrigue. A must watch movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/29/24 Full Review Luca D I love the fact that the mother being so eerily devoted to her son gets annoying very quickly. Anyone can relate. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/20/24 Full Review Andrea C Ancora un capolavoro di Bong Joon Ho che torna nell'ambiente del meraviglioso "Memorie di un assassino" con una storia tanto simile come "episodi" quanto diversa come sceneggiatura e risvolti. Una madre pronta a combattere contro tutto e tutti, senza badare alle evidenze ma soprattutto senza avere nessun tipo di capacità investigativa. E quando le sequenze sembrano portare ad un lieto fine piuttosto ovvio, avvengono una serie di capovolgimenti e di sconvolgimenti tali da lasciare senza fiato lo spettatore, spiazzato ed inerme verso le rivelazioni che giungono in rapida sequenza negli ultimi minuti. Il finale dolce amaro colpisce ancora una volta, vero punto di forza di un meraviglioso regista in grado di non sbagliare un singolo epilogo in tutta la sua lunga carriera. Un'opera da guardare e da assaporare lasciandosi trasportare dalla trama e dalla protagonista, senza porre resistenza al moto continuo della sua indagine. Capolavoro. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Mother

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Movie Info

Synopsis A widow (Kim Hye-ja) resides with her mentally challenged son (Won-bin) in a small South Korean town, where she scrapes out a living selling medicinal herbs. Mother and son are plunged into a nightmare when the body of a murdered young girl is discovered. Circumstantial evidence indicates the son's involvement, and he becomes the prime suspect during the sloppy police investigation. Betrayed by the legal system, the mother takes the law into her own hands to clear her son's name.
Director
Bong Joon Ho
Producer
Choi Jae-won
Screenwriter
Bong Joon Ho, Park Eungyo, Park Wongyu
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
CJ Entertainment
Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Some Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 12, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$547.3K
Runtime
2h 8m
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