Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Mother Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2010

Screened in the Un Certain Regard series at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of the SIGNIS Award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival, Bong Joon-ho's "Madeo" a.k.a "Mother" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary, making of, numerous interviews, conversations, stills, and more. With optional English and Korean subtitles. Region-Free.

Alone

What makes Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Mother a great film is the fact that one never knows what is going on in the heads of its two main protagonists - a mother (Kim Hye-Ja) and her twenty-seven-year-old son (Won Bin). Though they are very close to each other, both appear to be living in two drastically different worlds. The son, who has trouble remembering, often sees things, which one could never quite tell whether or not are real. The mother is a quiet woman who barely speaks.

The mother and the son are forced out of their comfort zones when a young girl is brutally murdered. The son is thrown in jail because he apparently liked the dead girl and cannot remember where he was on the night when she was murdered. The mother goes berserk after everyone around her refuses to believe that her son is not a murderer.

For awhile, Joon-ho makes it look like Mother is a classic whodunit affair with a few melodramatic overtones. We follow the mother as she contacts different lawyers and asks for their help, then meets old friends who have know her son for years and can vouch that he could not possibly be a murderer, and finally confronts the detectives who arrested him. When her strategy fails, the mother goes to the jail and asks her son to try to remember as much as he can about the night when the girl was murdered. This is when Mother becomes a different film.

First, instead of remembering more about the night when the girl was murdered, the son remembers how his mother tried to kill him when he was only five years old. The mother is shocked. Apparently, she wanted to kill her son and then herself because she could not come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t the mother she always wanted to be. She changed her mind at the last minute, realizing that it is better to be alive and keep trying. Things got better and the mother assumed that her son would never remember her mistake.

Second, when the mother realizes that there is nothing she could do to convince the police that her son is innocent, she becomes a different person - presumably, the same person she was years ago when she failed to meet her own expectations. It is a massive character transformation that changes the entire complexion of the film. Through it, Joon-ho cuts deep into the stereotypical mother-son relationship and asks questions that are beyond fascinating.

In addition to the shocking revelations and complex character transformations, Mother also boasts a strong dose of deadpan black humor with some very effective satirical overtones. For example, throughout the film the reactions of the frustrated mother are often rushed, at times notably chaotic, causing many of the darker scenes to also look absurdly hilarious.

The acting is very strong. Kim Hye-Ja, in particular, is terrific, providing her character with admirable depth and complexity. Won Bin is also convincing, though, admittedly his acting is not as fluid as Hye-Ja's.

Cinematographer Hong Kyung-Pyo, who worked on the Korean hits Il Mare (2000) and Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, has also done a wonderful job of capturing the natural beauty of the Korean countryside.

In 2009, Mother was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, Mother was also nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Mother Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bong Joon-ho's Mother arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer is very strong. The outdoor scenes, in particular, are remarkably vivid, with terrific contrast levels and rich colors. Fine object detail is also very pleasing. Many of the long close-ups where the camera studies the face of the heartbroken mother are amongst the most effective scenes in the film. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. Ringing and banding are also absent. I also did not detect any traces of heavy noise filtering. Furthermore, when blown through a digital projector, the image remains notably stable. Also, large cuts, marks, stains, or debris are nowhere to be seen. To sum it all up, Mother looks as strong as the rest of the award-winning Korean films in CJ Entertainment's catalog. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Mother Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, CJ Entertainment have provided optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid, though it would most definitely not test the muscles of your audio equipment. Surround activity is limited, but there are a couple of scenes with strong ambient effects. The bass is potent, but, again, not too prominent. The high-frequencies are not overdone.

The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. Furthermore, Lee Byeong-woo's evocative music score benefits greatly from the loseless audio treatment, which is why I felt that the long scene with the dancing mother was amongst the very best in the film. Finally, I did not detect any pops, cracks, or hiss to report in this review.

Mother Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: I would like to apologize to our readers for not being able to comment on the supplemental features included on this Blu-ray disc. Unfortunately, they are all listed in Korean and not subtitled in English. Even the names of the participants in the audio commentary are listed in Korean only.

Making of - (91 min, 480/60i).

Interviews - cast and crew interviews (19 min, 1080i).

Audio commentary -

The Music - a look at the film's orchestral score (16 min, 480/60i).

Conversations - short conversations with the cast and crew - (15 min, 480/60i).

Stills-

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. (2 min, 480/60i).

Interview/comments - director Bong Joon-ho discusses selected scenes from the film. (32 min, 1080i).

Mother Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mother is a strong, exquisitely acted film that should resonate well with those of you who like serious, character-driven dramas. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment, looks and sounds great. The packaging is again very elegant. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.