Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s <i>Mother</i>

Ann Meejung Kim

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

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Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother

Ann Meejung Kim

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 4, Issue 5)

Received: 21 July 2016 Accepted: 15 August 2016 Published: 25 August 2016

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Abstract

Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film, Mother, explores and complicates the idealized motherhood with its portrayal of a deeply troubled and violent mother. The heroine, the “mother,” is an herbalist in a provincial town whose life revolves around protecting her mentally challenged adult son. When he is charged with a murder that she believes he has not committed, she takes matters into her own hands, trying everything in her meager power to clear his name. For this film, Bong makes a bold statement in that he wishes to “explore the dark side of motherhood.” Casting Kim Hye-ja, an actress beloved by Koreans for her “motherly” roles, is the first step in de-familiarizing the familiar image of devoted Korean mother; however, the film achieves the goal by pushing the limits of such “motherly devotion,” setting up a situation that begs her to break boundaries. This paper argues that the film succeeds in complicating the maternal instinct by surprising the viewer, whose force to surprise lies in the film’s clever contextualizing: the ways of alienating the subject is deeply rooted in the Korean context, which makes the surprise even more dramatic and effective in destroying the idealized motherhood.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 4, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
Page(s)	61-67
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Bong Joon-ho, Mother, Motherhood Ideology, Sexuality, Violence

References

[1]	Bell, James. “In the Name of Love.” Sight & Sound. Aug 2010 (20.9): 24-25. Art Source. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
[2]	Kim, Unkyŏng. “1950 Nyeondae moseong damlongwa hyeonsil [Motherhood Ideology in the 1950s and Reality].” Yeoseonghak Yeongu Feb. 2011 (21.1): 123-159. DBPIA. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. 123.
[3]	Chŏng, Hŭichin. P’eminijŭmŭi Tojŏn [Feminism’s challenges]. Seoul: Kyoyangin. 2013. Print. 130.
[4]	Hrdy, Blaffer Sarah. 2001. “The Past, Present and Future of the Human Family. Tanner Lectures on Human Values. http://tannerlectures.utah.edu/_documents/a-to-z/h/Hrdy_02.pdf
[5]	Kim, Unkyŏng. “1950 Nyeondae moseong damlongwa hyeonsil [Motherhood Ideology in the 1950s and Reality].” Yeoseonghak Yeongu Feb. 2011 (21.1): 123-159. DBPIA. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. 124.
[6]	Chŏng, Hŭichin. P’eminijŭmŭi Tojŏn [Feminism’s challenges]. Seoul: Kyoyangin. 2013. Print. 60.
[7]	Kim, Unkyŏng. “1950 Nyeondae moseong damlongwa hyeonsil [Motherhood Ideology in the 1950s and Reality].” Yeoseonghak Yeongu Feb. 2011 (21.1): 123-159. DBPIA. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. 125.
[8]	“‘Madŏ’ Hŭnghaengŭi Sumŭn Him 'Ŏmma' Kwan'gaek Kŭkchangŭl Hyanghada” [Hidden secret of ‘Mother’s success: “mom” viewers take to the theatres].’ Maeilgyŏngje. 9 June 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
[9]	Kennedy, Lisa. “Director stretches tight the ties that bind mother, son.” Denver Post, April 14, 2010.
[10]	Stern, Mark. “Director Bong Joon-ho on Mother and Incest.” 18 Mar. 2010. Georgetown Voice. Web. 23 Dec 2014.
[11]	Cho Sŏnchŏng. “Mosŏng Sŏ sawa Kŭ Pulman [Narratives of Motherhood and Objections Thereof].” Feminism: Saiwa Chai: 300-322. Seoul: Munhakdongne, 2011. Print.
[12]	Mun, Seok. “Pongchunho kamtoki malhanŭn t'amhŏmki.” Cine 21. 2009. 6.4. Web.
[13]	Chŏng, Hŭichin. P’eminijŭmŭi Tojŏn [Feminism’s challenges]: 60. Seoul: Kyoyangin. 2013. Print.
[14]	Taubin, Amy. “Maternal Bondage.” Art forum International. Mar 2010 (48.7): 75. Art forum. Print.
[15]	Abramovitch, Seth. “Bong Joon-ho: The Movie line Interview.” 9 Mar. 2010. Movieline.com. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.

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Ann Meejung Kim. (2016). Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 4(5), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

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Ann Meejung Kim. Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2016, 4(5), 61-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

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Ann Meejung Kim. Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. Int J Lit Arts. 2016;4(5):61-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11,
  author = {Ann Meejung Kim},
  title = {Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {4},
  number = {5},
  pages = {61-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20160405.11},
  abstract = {Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film, Mother, explores and complicates the idealized motherhood with its portrayal of a deeply troubled and violent mother. The heroine, the “mother,” is an herbalist in a provincial town whose life revolves around protecting her mentally challenged adult son. When he is charged with a murder that she believes he has not committed, she takes matters into her own hands, trying everything in her meager power to clear his name. For this film, Bong makes a bold statement in that he wishes to “explore the dark side of motherhood.” Casting Kim Hye-ja, an actress beloved by Koreans for her “motherly” roles, is the first step in de-familiarizing the familiar image of devoted Korean mother; however, the film achieves the goal by pushing the limits of such “motherly devotion,” setting up a situation that begs her to break boundaries. This paper argues that the film succeeds in complicating the maternal instinct by surprising the viewer, whose force to surprise lies in the film’s clever contextualizing: the ways of alienating the subject is deeply rooted in the Korean context, which makes the surprise even more dramatic and effective in destroying the idealized motherhood.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother
AU  - Ann Meejung Kim
Y1  - 2016/08/25
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
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JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
AB  - Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film, Mother, explores and complicates the idealized motherhood with its portrayal of a deeply troubled and violent mother. The heroine, the “mother,” is an herbalist in a provincial town whose life revolves around protecting her mentally challenged adult son. When he is charged with a murder that she believes he has not committed, she takes matters into her own hands, trying everything in her meager power to clear his name. For this film, Bong makes a bold statement in that he wishes to “explore the dark side of motherhood.” Casting Kim Hye-ja, an actress beloved by Koreans for her “motherly” roles, is the first step in de-familiarizing the familiar image of devoted Korean mother; however, the film achieves the goal by pushing the limits of such “motherly devotion,” setting up a situation that begs her to break boundaries. This paper argues that the film succeeds in complicating the maternal instinct by surprising the viewer, whose force to surprise lies in the film’s clever contextualizing: the ways of alienating the subject is deeply rooted in the Korean context, which makes the surprise even more dramatic and effective in destroying the idealized motherhood.
VL  - 4
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Ann Meejung Kim

Department of English Language and Literature, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Ann Meejung Kim. (2016). Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 4(5), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

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ACS Style

Ann Meejung Kim. Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2016, 4(5), 61-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Ann Meejung Kim. Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother. Int J Lit Arts. 2016;4(5):61-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11,
  author = {Ann Meejung Kim},
  title = {Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {4},
  number = {5},
  pages = {61-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20160405.11},
  abstract = {Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film, Mother, explores and complicates the idealized motherhood with its portrayal of a deeply troubled and violent mother. The heroine, the “mother,” is an herbalist in a provincial town whose life revolves around protecting her mentally challenged adult son. When he is charged with a murder that she believes he has not committed, she takes matters into her own hands, trying everything in her meager power to clear his name. For this film, Bong makes a bold statement in that he wishes to “explore the dark side of motherhood.” Casting Kim Hye-ja, an actress beloved by Koreans for her “motherly” roles, is the first step in de-familiarizing the familiar image of devoted Korean mother; however, the film achieves the goal by pushing the limits of such “motherly devotion,” setting up a situation that begs her to break boundaries. This paper argues that the film succeeds in complicating the maternal instinct by surprising the viewer, whose force to surprise lies in the film’s clever contextualizing: the ways of alienating the subject is deeply rooted in the Korean context, which makes the surprise even more dramatic and effective in destroying the idealized motherhood.},
 year = {2016}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Alienating the Maternal Instinct in Bong Joon-ho’s Mother
AU  - Ann Meejung Kim
Y1  - 2016/08/25
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 61
EP  - 67
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20160405.11
AB  - Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film, Mother, explores and complicates the idealized motherhood with its portrayal of a deeply troubled and violent mother. The heroine, the “mother,” is an herbalist in a provincial town whose life revolves around protecting her mentally challenged adult son. When he is charged with a murder that she believes he has not committed, she takes matters into her own hands, trying everything in her meager power to clear his name. For this film, Bong makes a bold statement in that he wishes to “explore the dark side of motherhood.” Casting Kim Hye-ja, an actress beloved by Koreans for her “motherly” roles, is the first step in de-familiarizing the familiar image of devoted Korean mother; however, the film achieves the goal by pushing the limits of such “motherly devotion,” setting up a situation that begs her to break boundaries. This paper argues that the film succeeds in complicating the maternal instinct by surprising the viewer, whose force to surprise lies in the film’s clever contextualizing: the ways of alienating the subject is deeply rooted in the Korean context, which makes the surprise even more dramatic and effective in destroying the idealized motherhood.
VL  - 4
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download