Mother (2009)

This is a philosophical post. Do not read further if you do not like thinking. PS, It is also a movie review.

Mother (The movie that was made in Korea in the year 2009), is a fantastic focus on the nature of perfect motherhood. The movie itself begins lightheartedly with a few comical scenes but progressively becomes darker. The whole plot revolves around a son who is simple minded, his mother who will do anything for him and a high school girl who sleeps
The movie raised a question in my mind. What is perfect motherhood? To whom can we look and see a paragon of nurture? In nature mothers some mothers stop at nothing to protect their children while others abandon babies to face the challenges of the world alone. What about humans? When should the line be drawn? This movie really made me think about the difficult task of raising beings into this world. around.
The son is egged on after a night of drinking to pursue the high school tramp as a gateway to manhood. The next morning the son is arrested for the young girl's murder. The mother then sets out to prove his innocence. She becomes obsessed with sneaking around and filling in the gaps the police leave vacant. Then twists and turns in the plot create an intricate mystery that kept me guessing until the end when my initial suspicions were confirmed.


Mother raises questions about the purest form of love on this earth, love of a mother for her child. It is love that I had never thought about or questioned until this movie. Now I am stuck thinking about when a mother should disown her child or sacrifice her own life in order to protect the offspring. The dilemma is intense and complex. It is, like most things in life, not black and white but instead a shade of grey. Grey is an uncomfortable color due to its lack of uncertainty. When something so solid as love is painted grey it is an emotional betrayal. Mother describes maternal love as a dangerous beast that must be properly controlled. Otherwise it evolves into a dangerous obsession that affects lives of all involved.


PS. If you were thinking the above painting was Mary Cassatt, you are right. This is a classy blog.