“Mother” marks the return of acclaimed actor turned director Ha Myung Joong, whose 1984 effort “The Blazing Sun” was the first Korean film to play at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear. For this, his first film since 1990, he has chosen a highly emotive subject by adapting the bestselling autobiography by Choi In Ho and by working into it details of his own life and mother. Certainly, the film is not only a deeply personal affair, since Ha directs, stars, and also wrote the screenplay, but is also a family production in every sense of the word, with his eldest son Sang Won taking the lead role and his second son Joon Won and his wife Park Kyung Ae onboard as producers.

The film begins in an old decaying village which is due to be demolished, as a crazy looking old man (played by the director) suddenly sneaks through the barricades and disappears, setting off a desperate search lead by his granddaughter to find him before the automated explosion. The old man is in fact prize-winning novelist Choi Ho, who has come with the intention of paying one last visit to the house where he was raised and lived with his mother (actress Han Hye Sook, in an excellent performance which gives the film its heart and soul).

As he sifts through the wreckage of the old house, his mind wanders back to his childhood and his years as a struggling young writer. Most of all, he remembers his mother, a spirited widow who took care of him and made countless sacrifices to help him chase his dreams. Although he had sworn never to abandon her as his siblings did, Choi himself eventually headed off to pursue his writing career, leaving her alone in the world.

Ha Myung Joong’s greatest achievement with “Mother” is that he manages turns a premise, which while undoubtedly worthy does not exactly promise high drama, into something truly engaging and moving. This is mainly due to the intimate nature of the film, something that really comes across in almost every scene and through the well-written and wholly believable characters. The structure also helps to keep things interesting, with the events in the present day serving as an effective framing device and nicely complimenting the film’s structure as a representation of the cycle of life, with the various flashbacks taking place during the different stages of Choi’s formative years. This is similarly reflected visually through the subtle, well crafted used of colour, light and other small details to suggest the changing seasons of life.

Also impressive is the way in which Ha never lets the film slide into melodrama, as although things do inevitably get quite sad in places, inevitably more so towards the end as she grows older and more lonely, there isn’t too much in the way of gratuitous tears or long maudlin montages. The film also benefits from being commendably short and uncluttered, with no needless subplots or artificial attempts to wring even more sympathy for its characters.

Indeed, Ha does not depict the relationship between Choi and his mother as being perfect or without its difficult times, and he never shies away from exploring the painful truth of the fact that time changes people and that children do inevitably outgrow their parents, whether they want to or not. As such, the film is mature and honest, and all the more moving for it, and indeed most viewers will likely find themselves thinking about their own beloved mothers before the end.

Although on the surface “Mother” is a film which may be more likely to appeal to older viewers, it contains enough heartfelt and universal truths to mean that it should be enjoyed by all ages. Veteran director Ha keeps a steady hand throughout and elevates the film from mere melodrama and saccharine sappiness to something far richer and more rewarding.

Ha Myeong-joong (director) / Ha Myeong-joong (screenplay)
CAST: Han Hye-sook, Ha Myeong-joong, Ha Sang-won, Park Ha-seon, Bae Si-woon, Kim Seung-wook, Oh Yu-jin