There is no more blind a love than that of a mother's for her son. The nameless title character (Hye-ja Kim) proves this beyond all doubt as she desperately seeks to prove her son Do-joon's (Bin Won) innocence in the murder of a school girl for which he's been found guilty of. Adding to this predicament, Do-joon is somewhat slow-witted; becoming angry when someone calls him a retard, no matter how fitting it might be.
In fact, the entire plot stands on his faulty memory and the fact that he can't remember what happened when he was at the scene of the crime; his presence there having been confirmed by the law (and the camera). Memory in general is central to the film as most of the crime's details are told either through third party accounts or visual flashbacks. The power of memory is also responsible for bringing about one of the only glimpses into the mother's shady past; namely her part in causing Do-joon's mental condition.
Helping her in her quest for truth is Do-joon's hoodlum friend Jin-tae (Goo Jin), who comes in handy when physical coersion becomes necessary. However, while Mother may be physically frail, we bluntly discover that she is also capable of violence when other options are lacking.
Having seen Bong's monster-flick The Host (2006), it is clear that the director knows how to adapt his shooting form to fit the story at-hand, which I believe is the mark of great director. Bong paints this unconventional tale of crime fiction with moral ambiguity and tainted heart, mixing long takes with clever editing to make us feel the weight of the personal investigation. Mother continues South Korea's impressive track record of producing some of the best criminally-oriented films in recent memory. With directors like Bong, Ji-woon Kim (A Tale of Two Sisters) and Chan-wook Park (Oldboy), South Korea is quickly becoming, if not already, a prime country to turn to when looking for refreshingly creative filmmaking, no matter what genre.
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