Mother

Movie Feature by Harriet Robbins

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association recently gave Korean actress Kim Hye-Ja its Best Actress Award for her work in MOTHER, the latest feature by director Bong Joon-Ho.

Kim plays the mother of a 27-year-old who has an impaired brain. She has raised him with care and love, always keeping an eye out for him.

Circumstances change rapidly, though, when a young girl is murdered in their small town and the police arrest her son as the killer. This can't be, she tells them. He's just a simple sweet kid, she insists, trying to convince them of his innocence. All in vain.

The town itself has a jaded look. Drunkards abound, indifference prevails.

Taking on the role of amateur sleuth, she launches a quest for justice. In her slow, faltering way she begins to put together pieces of the puzzle. Soon she begins to achieve unexpected results that surprise and delight the viewer.

The brilliance of Kim's performance shines throughout MOTHER, becoming more and more intense as the story unfolds. She is an immensely gifted actress.

Director Bong has proved in the past that he has a special way with unusual material. In MOTHER he once again provides us with a unique view of the passions and follies of the human condition.