Mother (Joon-ho Bong)

[pro-bassoonist]

Joon-ho Bong's Mother has received a preliminary release date: September 20. Screened at the Cannes Film Festival.


Pre-order: Mother Blu-ray

Amber Wilkinson:

They say there is no greater love than that between a mother and her child and Bong Joon-ho’s follow up to The Host explores that idea, pushing it to the extreme edge of its envelope.

Twenty-seven-year-old Yoon Do-joon is the sort of child who needs more love than most. Naïve and easily led by his ne’er do well chum Jin-tae, he is a walking disaster area, depending on his long-suffering mum to bail him out of hot water on an almost daily basis. He’s such a patsy, in fact, that when a young schoolgirl is found dead, he quickly finds himself in the frame for her murder, thanks to offering a quick ‘confession’ to a lazy police force looking to clear the case with a minimum of fuss. It seems mummy dearest will have to go to uncompromising lengths in order to prove his innocence.

When it comes to subverting the audience’s expectations, Joon-ho proves he is a puppet master, pulling our strings without us ever suspecting it. The casting of Kim Hye-ja - famous in her homeland for portraying mothers of a more caring, sharing nature – also wrong-foots the viewer and emphasises the extremes that parenthood makes possible.

The idea of taking a peek into the dark side of parental love is a strong and unusual one – particularly since the ‘child’ here is, if not emotionally, then at least physically, an adult – but Joon-ho’s film suffers from a shifting tone that is unsettling for the wrong reasons. Initial uneasy comedy – rather broad and using Joon-ho’s mental shortcomings as the butt of the joke – gives way to a tense and clever thriller-steeped middle segment before the film’s emphasis switches, ratchetting the action up to an overly melodramatic conclusion.

Still, if the tone doesn’t quite hold up for the film’s duration, the acting and characterisation help to make up for this. Although Joon-ho creates a well-realised sense of small-town Korean life, there is never any doubt that this is all about his mother, with her fragility-tinged fearlessness under almost constant scrutiny. And Joon-ho perfects the neat trick of keeping the audience on her side even as her actions begin to take on the same dangerous and suspiciously sharp edge possessed by the wicked-looking blade she uses to chop herbs.

Hye-ja is beautifully understated in the central role and her subtle performance alone does much to take the edge off the film’s more hyperbolic twists and turns. Won-bin also convinces as the man-child, grappling with his own set of complex issues while trying to do as his mother tells him. Ultimately, tone isn’t everything and when it comes to tension and the unexpected, this mum’s the word.

Pro-B

Mother Blu-ray Review

[Dubliner1]

Just wondering is the Optimum the same transfer as the original Korean CJ Entertainment release or the U.S. Magnolia release?....After reading negative reviews of the U.S. Magnolia transfer I opted for the Korean disc. Apparently the U.S. release is much lighter looking and has numerous instances of artifacting. I find it hard to believe that Optimum would have used the Korean CJ Entertainment version but maybe I'm wrong?....

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by Dubliner1

Just wondering is the Optimum the same transfer as the original Korean CJ Entertainment release or the U.S. Magnolia release?....After reading negative reviews of the U.S. Magnolia transfer I opted for the Korean disc. Apparently the U.S. release is much lighter looking and has numerous instances of artifacting. I find it hard to believe that Optimum would have used the Korean CJ Entertainment version but maybe I'm wrong?....

I've sent an e-mail to Optimum today asking this very question! I hope they have used the CJ Entertainment transfer.

If I get an answer from them, I'll post it here.

[Dubliner1]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

I've sent an e-mail to Optimum today asking this very question! I hope they have used the CJ Entertainment transfer.

If I get an answer from them, I'll post it here.

Thanks- there is interesting comparison between both versions at dvd beaver dot com

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Dubliner1

Just wondering is the Optimum the same transfer as the original Korean CJ Entertainment release or the U.S. Magnolia release?.

CJ Entertainment:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe...y/8984/#Review

Optimum Home Releasing:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe.../12311/#Review

Pro-B

[Dubliner1]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

CJ Entertainment:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe...y/8984/#Review

Optimum Home Releasing:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe.../12311/#Review

Pro-B

Thanks- for both reviews...looking forward to hearing your thoughts on upcoming new batch of StudioCanal releases.

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

CJ Entertainment:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe...y/8984/#Review

Optimum Home Releasing:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mothe.../12311/#Review

Pro-B

Thanks Pro-B. I didn't realise you had already reviewed the new Optimum release, but I'm delighted to hear that it appears to be the same transfer as the CJ Entertainment edition, and not the vastly inferior one used by Magnolia. I'll definitely be ordering this one.

[pro-bassoonist]

You are welcome.

Pro-B

[manicsounds]

Although there are much less extras on the UK disc.

[backslashio]

Man I really do hate movies with vastly different transfers depending on the region Especially how the US title is now priced much cheaper, nearly half the price of the UK version & even more difficult it has more extras

Now I'm undecided of which to get since I prefer to save money

[Beefbowl]

$17.49 @ amazon. I really wanted the digipak but since i already missed the first two I'm just going to get the US version.

[Blu Titan]

The site's review is up.


mother.jpg


Mother Blu-ray Review

[razor81]

Loks like almost the same transfer both Korea and UK

[ImportFanatic]

Is there trailers that play before the main menu?

[Sig-gotyouth]

Wow. Didn't this just get a theatrical release?

[lolwut]

Does anyone know if the English subtitles are better than the Korean CJ release? Or the same?

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Does anyone know if the English subtitles are better than the Korean CJ release? Or the same?

Bump.

[Godzamera]

I'd love if Criterion released this