Hye-ja is a devoted single parent to her dim-witted and sometimes violent adult son, Do-joon.  Her son behaves in foolish or sometimes dangerous ways.   Do-joon is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl that he followed one night after getting drunk before she disappeared into a dark alley.   Hye-ja is frustrated at the police closing the investigation and the inept lawyer how is supposed to be defending her son.   She launches her own investigation that leads her to recruiting her son’s untrustworthy friend, Jin-tae.

MOTHER is a character drama that examines what a mother would do to free her son from jail.   It is a film that takes disturbing turns while showing how some take too many things for granted.   It is a beautifully photographed film with an interesting score that sometimes uses Latin rhythms.  It is another film from the director of THE HOST that has family as the center focus.   THE HOST was a rescue mission by a family where MOTHER is about a mother trying to clear her son’s name.   I wonder what the director’s next film will be.   Every character seems fleshed out no matter how much of a part they have in the movie.  You get to know what you need to know about them.   This small town is full of secrets and people with bad behaviors.   MOTHER brings to light the characters in a small town while a mother searches for the truth.   MOTHER is top notch drama.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MOTHER, SON, AND MURDER: THE MAKING OF MOTHER is an overlong 26 minute making-of featurette that has behind-the-scenes production footage and interviews with the cast and director.  The director tells a story about a mother defending her 60 year son who was arrested for crimes against kids (and wonders if she knew the truth or refused to believe it).

MUSIC SCORE- the composer discusses he came up with the music for the film

SUPPORTING ACTORS- how the actors were cast and the characters they play.  Features interviews with the actors and director

CINEMATOGRAPHY- the director and director of photography talk about how why they shot the film in 2.35:1 and used an anamorphic lens

PRODUCTION DESIGN- the production team talks about the search they went through to get the right locations for the director and that the director uses artistic ideas when it comes to locations (and how they are designed)

FINAL ANALYSIS:  MOTHER is an utterly interesting character drama about what a mother would do when her son is arrested for murder.

This DVD review is ©7-22-2010 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com