Mother2009

“There are only three motives for murder. Money, passion, and revenge.” Don’t get me wrong, I liked Snowpiercer and Okja, but how did Bong Joon-ho make them after he made Mother? It’s so good and on a different level.  In the opening scene where the mother is dancing at first seems weird and wholesome, turns out to be her crazed delusion from mistakingly murdering the junkyard guy out of revenge for her son.   Throughout the movie you see how policies and society have failed on many levels. First with the son encountering a hit and run, then chasing them down. Ultimately having to be the one to pay back the damages to the car. More severely when the son is falsely accused of murder, and them not being able to afford a lawyer. Leading the mother to take matters into her own hands.  There’s a lot of things in Mother that reminded me of other Bong Joon-ho films. The sex scene reminds me of the sex scene in Parasite with the awkward closeness to intimacy. Or when the mother goes to the lady and has her photoshop her son, also reminds me of Parasite. Even the crimes and tone remind me of Memories of Murder.  Mother ends brilliantly with the mother’s self-acupuncture. Tying back so well to her many attempts of trying to heal peoples knotted hearts, and help them forget their sorrows. Overall, this was a great film and a good one to finish my Bong Joon-Ho filmography. Looking forward to future projects from him.