Mother

Truly one of the craziest roller coaster experiences I’ve ever had watching a film. Just about from start to finish this film was perfect. The narrative crafts themes and ideas that are equally as thrilling as they are emotionally compelling. It’s heartfelt and sincere with its emotions with this mother and son bond on screen and also thrilling with how each moment of this murder mystery links together to be engaging and intriguing. Each part that furthers this murder case is like a level, further testing how much this mother loves her child and what she’s willing to do for him. This film dove into 3 main themes for me: obsession, love and inheritance.  Somehow this film juggles those three ideas in the perfect way with making everything clear and concise. The movie overall mainly captures the unconditional love of a mother. Willing to slave, suffer or do anything for the better of their child. And it’s very evident that message is told throughout this narrative. This mother is obsessed with getting her child out of this dilemma because of how much she loves him and cares for him. There’s something special about that love of a mother. Their love stretches even more vast than ever because of the bond they’ve grown sacrificing those years of their lives trying to raise that child.  The obsession however does reveal something else: inheritance. The mother’s nonstop persistence to save her child turning into a form of insanity in a way reveals that this impulsive trait the son has was passed down from her mom. After the whole time trying to solve this case, the mom realizes that the reason her son is in this dilemma isn’t because of unfair laws or the influence his friends have on him but its because of her. The mother taught him to always fight back and get justice for yourself by raging out of impulse. While that was said with the intention of protecting him, it only ruined him.  That honestly about sums up the genuis of Bong Joon Ho’s writing in this film. making a thrilling murder mystery while weaving in compelling emotional story into it with ease. For example, the plot twist doesn’t just serve as something to make the audience more entertained but it also helps you understand just how much of an influence the mother was on her son. Joon Ho with this film also dives into the complexities of being a parent. Whether the parents realize it or not, they are the sole person their children look up to which means they’ll copy the actions or mistakes their make since they think so highly of their parents.  Also besides the narrative and writing, another thing definitely worth mentioning is the stellar performance from Kim Hye Ja. She just absolutely buys into the character and its emotions, making such a raw and sincere performance that’s so compelling and immersive to watch. I couldn’t describe enough just how blown away I was from this film.