MOTHER

Official Selection: Cannes, Toronto, New York Film Festivals

Directed by Bong Joon-ho (The Host)

SHOWTIMES

Korean director Bong Joon-ho received international acclaim for his 2006 blockbuster The Host.  In Mother, a single mother takes on the police, a self-important lawyer, and the contempt of a  town to save her son accused of murder. The mother, wonderfully played by Korean screen veteran Kim Hye-ja, has always kept a wary eye on her grown son. The sweet-faced boy, Do-Joon (Won Bin), has the mind of a child but the impulses of an adult and is easily taken advantage of. One evening after a late night of drinking, Do-Joon encounters a school girl. The next morning, the girl is found dead and Do-Joon is quickly arrested. An intense thriller peppered with black humor, Mother is also a family melodrama that explores the dark corners of maternal love. —Tomoko Kawamoto

South Korea, 2009, 129 min., color, Rated R, In Korean with English subtitles

Click HERE for trailer and official website.