Mother - 母親

Mother (母親) is a 2009 film out of Korea. The movie stars Won Bin and Kim Hye-ja. This was the first film by Won Bin after he fulfilled his mandatory military service. The movie was also well received on the international market and one of the top 10 domestic films of 2009 in Korea.

Won Bin plays Do-joon, a mentally challenged individual who seems to have problems with his memory and ability to tell right from wrong. Do-joon's mother is a worker at a traditional medicine shop. Do is suspected of killing a local girl and put into prison. Do's mother believes that the police coaxed an confession and that he's innocent. From that point on, the mother is hellbent on getting to the truth and getting her son free.

What's not to like about a mother's quest to get her son released from jail? But a very common theme among the recent high profile Korean films is darkness. What type of activity drives individuals to do what they do? What drives a mother to go beyond her means to get her son released?

Did I like this movie? No, I was following along with the story, but was uneasy the whole time. It took over 2 months to finish this. Seriously, ten minutes here, ten minutes there. Finally, I said to myself, finish it. And I did and I also said, "Why'd you watch this movie?". The hype. I gave in to the hype. And it did not live up.