A Tragic, Noirish Korean Whodunnit, for Mothers Everywhere

Bong Joon Hoo's Mother is a superb new film that scratches at the dark underbelly of South Korean society. The story centers around the titular mother and her mildly retarded son (there's a suggestion that her attempt years earlier at double suicide caused the retardation). A young girl is murdered after he is seen following her - he is arrested and, infinitely suggestible, he confesses. Cue mother's determined attempts to prove his innocence, which take us on a twisty, unpredictable path through some dark territory as we learn about the girl's life and the field of suspects grows.



Mother is currently available only in Korean DVD and Blu Ray editions. The (Region 3) Special Edition DVD, available here, has a top-notch print of the film and I recommend it to those DVD buyers who would prefer not to wait for a local edition (which will surely happen, given the quality of the film).

Those who have seen this director's Memories of Murder, a similarly dark opus, will know this film is not to be missed!

EDIT: This film is now available in various BD and DVD editions around the world, which may be cheaper than the Korean edition referred to above.

The Life of Chikuzan

Masahiro Shinoda is one of Japan's heavyweight film directors - I've recommended his films in this blog before. I recently enjoyed his film Chikuzan, about Chikuzan Takahashi, one of Japan's most renowned folk musicians. Chikuzan was blind from the age of two, and the film documents with pathos and humor his hardscrabble existence as a traveling musician. It features many strong female characters, and plenty of louche males - the women in Chikuzan's life are shown ultimately to be his salvation. There's plenty of gorgeous cinematography and fascinating music, and lovers of Asian traditional music or art-house cinema will not be disappointed.



Asmik's Japanese Region 2 DVD has an excellent visual presentation of the film, as is typical of Japanese DVDs. English sub-titles are available. Note that Chikuzan is presented in 4:3 aspect ratio, which means you may need to adjust a widescreen television (by selecting size 4:3) in order to view it correctly at home. The DVD is available from HMV Japan.