FAQ

It shows that she cares more for her son than herself, which becomes relevant later on.

A doting mother (Kim Hye-ja) of a mentally-challenged young man is devastated when son Yoon Do-joon (Won Bin) is arrested for the murder of a young girl, Moon Ah-jung (Hee-ra Mun), and tricked into signing a confession. Certain that her son is innocent, Mother begins her own investigation into Ah-Jung's background and the events that happened on the night of the murder.

Mother was filmed from a screenplay co-written by South Korean screenwriters Park Eun-kyo and Bong Joon-ho (who also directed the movie).

Mother worked as an herbalist in a store and performed illegal acupuncture treatments (she was not licensed) on the side. Her employer wanted Mother to lie to customers about the inferior quality herbs they imported from China. To force Mother into compliance, the employer reminded her of how her illegal acupuncture practice would reflect upon the business and upon her husband, some high-ranking official.

"Deodeok root" is the root of the Codonopsis lanceolata plant, known in English as "bonnet bellflower." It is a popular ingredient in Korean cooking and can be found in various dishes, such as kimchi, vegetable salads, pancakes, etc. "Gugija" (Lycium species) is known under several English names, such as "Chinese matrimony vine", "wolfberries", and "goji berries." The red berries often make their way into soups, salads, and herbal teas. Mother contends that it's good for Do-joon's virility.

Ah-jung's two boyfriends explain that she took photos with her "pervert" phone of everyone with whom she had sex, so it's reasonable to conclude that the junkman was one of her customers. This is best evidenced in the scene where the junkman explains how he came to be in the abandoned house. He is seen spreading a mat on the floor and measuring out the rice with which he intends to pay Ah-jung (aka "Rice Cake Girl").

One of Ah-jung's girlfriends had the skill to silence the sound of a cellphone when it took photos. Ah-jung used it to take photos of her sex partners.

Several explanations have been offered, including that she was a single mother and very poor, but the most generally-accepted explanation is that Mother couldn't bear to live with Do-joon's mental disability so she decided to take both of their lives. She chose to use an insecticide called Lone Star, but it was too weak and only made them sick for two days. Some viewers have entertained the possibility that it was the poison that actually caused Do-joon's brain damage. Since the film does not offer an explanation, it's up to each viewer to decide which scenario makes the most sense to them.

Dancing in the aisles of tour buses was commonly seen on Korean tour buses up to a few years ago. Now. with stricter rules and sharper fines, it's not as common anymore.

Several times during the film, Mother says that she knows of an acupuncture point on the thigh. She calls it "a meridian point that can loosen the knots in your heart and clear all the horrible memories from your mind." She did it to herself to erase the memories of her attempts to kill herself and Do-joon when he was young, her murder of the junkman, and her son's involvement in the killing of Ah-jung.