A neo-noir tragedy blending crime thriller with psychological horror. It dissects the terrifying depths of maternal instinct, using rain-soaked visuals and a haunting dance to depict a love that devours morality.
Mother
마더
"She'll stop at nothing."
Director:
Bong Joon Ho
Cast:
Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo, Yoon Je-moon, Jeon Mi-seon
Drama
Crime
Mystery
Budget:
$5,000,000
Box Office:
$17,112,713
Mother - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
Lee Jung-eun's Appearance
Actress Lee Jung-eun, who famously played the housekeeper Moon-gwang in Bong's Parasite, appears briefly as a relative of the murdered girl. This establishes a recurring collaboration with Bong.
The 'Scholar Stone' Parallel
Do-joon kills the girl with a large rock. This visual motif of a rock as a weapon/symbol of doom recurs prominently in Bong's later film Parasite (the viewing stone).
Bookended Dancing
The film starts and ends with the mother dancing. The opening dance is a surreal foreshadowing of her mental state; the closing dance is a desperate, drug-induced attempt to forget her reality.