Madeo (Joon-ho Bong, 2009): South Korea

Reviewed by Nicole Muhlethaler. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

A unique murder mystery/crime drama with a twist ending, Madeo, (“mother” in Korean), is sure to not only entertain, but surprise. Yoon Do-joon (Bin Won), a mentally challenged teen with a rebellious streak, has a best friend who takes advantage of his mental disability, and a mother (Kim Hye-Ja) who is highly protective and loving. They have a peculiarly intimate relationship, as she dotes over him (like holding up a bowl to his lips so he can drink his soup as he urinates on the street) and they share the same bed. However, their relationship is mostly quirky and endearing and we get the sense that she is a good, albeit slightly overbearing, mother. Do-joon rebels and goes out drinking with his friends, which is where he was the night he was the last to see a young girl in town before her murder. He is arrested as a prime suspect, and agrees to sign a confession with the police due partially to his mental disability and partially to their violent and manipulative questioning. When his mother finds out, she must go on a quest to find the true murderer and prove the police wrong.

This stylish film is fast-paced and attention-grabbing. The characters are fascinating and full of life. It’s not often films are made with an older woman as the main protagonist, yet Do-joon’s mother is likeable, quick, and funny. She is a ball of energy and spunk. The opening scene is a memorable one: she is standing in a wheat field, sporting a purple suit, dancing eerily. We return to this scene later on in the film, which by then answers any questions we may have had as to why she was dancing, and what her expressions were alluding to in the opening scene. This movie is exceptionally creative, intelligently written, and carefully planned out.

The director Joon-ho Bong is a master of suspense and he leaves his audience hanging on the edges of their seats. Each scene reveals new surprises and twists as Do-joon’s mother travels all over town, meeting strange characters and getting herself into entertaining and odd situations as she tries to piece together the mystery. A particularly suspenseful scene involves Do-joon’s mother hiding in a closet, looking for evidence in the room of one of her suspects. The teenage boy returns home with his girlfriend, and after having sex on the bed, the couple falls asleep, allowing her time to sneak out of the room. As she tip-toes, however, she knocks over a plastic water bottle, the water slowly moving towards his outstretched hand just centimeters above the floor.

It’s not often a movie is made that will entertain, mystify, surprise, and in the end leave its audience feeling somehow satisfied by the whole experience, but Madeo successfully does all these things. It is refreshing, smart, alive, and a truly unique film.