Mother (2009)

4/5

Mother is a Korean film about the mother (Kim) of a mentally challenged man-child (Won) who is accused by the police (Jae-Moon) of killing a young schoolgirl (Na). Of course the mother knows her son could not have done it and will go to great lengths to prove his innocence. As she begins her amateur sleuthing, she stumbles upon the seedy underbelly of her town and the victim's salacious past. She digs past her unsettling revelations and teams up with her son's friend (Jin) to beat the truth out of certain witnesses. But even after you discover the events that happened that fateful night, the movie contains 30 very interesting minutes of a character study that are more provocative than the plot twists that preceded it.

This film, by the director of The Host, is an incredibly tense and atmospheric thriller. Even so, it is surprisingly relationship-driven, with the weirdly intimate and overprotective mother-son interaction providing the foundation and fascination of this awfully strange movie. I don't quite know what to make of it. It lingers in your brain after the final frame and keeps you thinking about the movie, but it also may turn a large portion of its audience away with disgust. While the characters intrigued me, the acting didn't impress me. That may be a result of the directing, which constantly used artsy-fartsy compositions at the cost of fluidity. Still, some of the shots and the editing as a whole were phenomenal. They cut across time and place to similar objects, similar perspectives, or similar themes. But the editing also has its own faults, as the movie was unnecessarily slow and long in some portions. It's impossible to recommend this movie to just anyone who likes murder mysteries and crime thrillers, but it's really unique for a wide range of reasons and there may be something to ponder in here for everyone. As long as they can stomach the more disturbing aspects of the film.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/

Tae Guk Gi (2004)

4/5

Tae Guk Gi tells the story of two South Korean brothers as they get forcibly drafted into the army to fight in the Korean War. It depicts the effects of the war on each brother's mental capacities and it also shows the strain on their seemingly unconditional love for each other. Set in a similar storytelling framework as Saving Private Ryan, we know who lives and who dies by the end. And yet the movie still manages to surprise us, taking us on a a series of unexpected twists and turns, gripping our seats in fear and anticipation. Other times the story felt forced and staged. While I was never that emotionally connected to the characters, I could see how the drama was the focus of the movie and respected that.

Even so, it's a war movie, and the action was truly relentless and gut-wrenching. The short shutter speeds (as in 28 Days Later) during several war scenes felt both otherworldly and realistic, putting the audience front and center in the chaos. The music was a bit of a mixed bag. It kept your pulse pounding during the battles, but felt really overbearing and melodramatic during the dramatic scenes. (When the music came on with a ridiculous montage of their civilian life, it was almost too sappy to believe. I actually groaned.) While the acting was great, I think a lot of credit deserves to go to casting. The younger brother had just the right look of boyish innocence and the older brother's resemblance to Chow Yun Fat made his character instantly recognizable and likable. Overall, this is a very good movie. It's easy to watch despite it's length, and I recommend it if it sounds appealing to you.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386064/