Mother

R

Released Mar 12, 2010

2 hr. 8 min.

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

96%

121 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

Audience Member

So…Asian movies often have a less-than subtle way of portraying people with disabilities, and this is no exception - lots of dramatic and slapstick scenes of the “slow” person doing stupid things. But then it also had some wild twists and dark turns that said so much more about the mother than I was expecting, soy feelings were mixed by the end. It actually got darker and more interesting as it went along, and, unusually, the end was actually more compelling than the beginning.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Saad k

A great slow-burn with a gut-punching ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

Full Review

Alec B

You expect shocking revelations but instead are given something much sadder and frankly more engaging. Bong Joon-ho is the master at these kinds of narratives, giving the audience what it needs instead of what they want and then convincing them that the ending is exactly what they wanted in the first place.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

S. C

It is an unforgettable piece thanks to the writing and directing by Bong. Doesn't disappoint and surprises with its story and the way it is told. The cast shows skill and raw emotion, especially the lead role. The cinematography is admirable. It is shot creatively and at times very involving. Beautiful score. The locations for the sets are chosen just perfectly. You feel the directors vision as always, with his talent of successfully putting multiple genres into one and creating characters which are realistic and shockingly relatable.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

Full Review

Joey c

My fav Bong's movie, very surprising ending, he is one of the greatest directors in 21 century. Leading Actor Kim is marvellous. She perfected this movie and bring it to the next level. Kim, RIP

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/25/23

Full Review

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Bong Joon Ho

Director

Kim Hye-ja

Mother

Won-bin

Yoon Do-joon

Jin Goo

Jin-tae

Yoon Je-moon

Je-moon

Jeon Mi-sun

Mi-sun

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

26%

75%

Law Abiding Citizen

TRAILER

for Law Abiding Citizen

12%

18%

The Informers

17%

40%

Cleaner

81%

87%

Prisoners

55%

49%

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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

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

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

There's little doubt that Mother improves considerably as it progresses...

Rated: 3/4

Dec 12, 2020

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Katharine Kim, Miky Lee, Moon Yanggwon
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

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