Henry Saw: Mother

This just did not work for me...


One reputable critic called Mother the best "Hitchcock" movie in years...this general statement was echoed in many other reviews I read before I saw Mother.

I don't think people know what a "Hitchcockian" thriller really is. Hitchcock's films, and I know I've said this before, were all about entertaining the audience. Is there loads of subtext in most of his movies? Yes. Do some of his movies double as entertainment AND art-house fare? Yes. But outside of the godawful Marnie...or the over-rated but well constructed Vertigo...Hitchcock's movies were brisk, fun, and absolutely aware of themselves at all times. Bong Joon-ho's Mother is none of those things.

A mother (never named) lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Do-joon is duped into confessing to the crime and it falls to his mother to try and prove his innocence.



Mother has a lot going for it. Bong Joon-ho is a very skilled director. There are several shots in the film that really resonate (there is one shot between the legs of the murder victim that is a true stand out). The film is always interesting to look at. It is also anchored by a strong performance from Hye-ja Kim as the Mother. Early on she captures the over-protective mother that I would think many can recognize. As she begins her investigation, and the film gets progressively darker, Hye-ja Kim nails the confusion and determination the character feels.

Unfortunately...Mother is just kinda boring. From the opening shot of Hye-ja Kim dancing in a wheat field, to a slow (slow) build up to the murder, to the drawn out scenes of the Mother talking to potential witnesses...it's just kind of dull. There is very little tension, the humor comes mostly from Do-joon's simpleness which is not that funny, and the big reveal is...not that surprising. Not that a twist ending is needed to make a thriller work, and some in the audience seemed genuinely surprised, but it did nothing for me.



The score was inappropriate at times, the editor should never work again (had this movie been 98 minutes instead of 128 it would have worked a lot better), and the acting from everyone except Hye-ja Kim is serviceable at best.

A definite disappointment. After seeing a strong trailer and reading some rave reviews I thought I was in for my third great movie experience of 2010 (Fish Tank and Shutter Island being the first two). Instead, Mother put me to sleep (for only 10 minutes or so), and left me nothing to chew on. It was all very ho-hum and again...I ask...did Hitchcock ever make a boring "ho-hum" film? Well...other than Stagefright...

Grade: C-

Best Scene: When the police first find the murder victim...