The Mother And The Bear

Written and directed by Johnny Ma, The Mother And The Bear begins when Sumi (Leere Park) falls on an icy patch of a Chicago sidewalk and hits her head. When her Korean mom, Sara (Kim Ho-Jung), arrives, she learns her daughter is in a coma. Sara vows to stay in the Windy City until her estranged daughter wakes up. She also decides to “fix” Sumi’s life. To that end, she gains access to Sumi’s phone and uses a dating app to find a good Korean husband.

But this simple, if immoral, act sends the middle-aged widow down an unexpected path. For one, Sara meets her daughter’s co-worker, Amaya (Amara Pedroso), at the school where she teaches. Sara is relieved to learn that Sumi has made friends so far from her home. She also meets chef Sam (Won-Jae Lee), who runs an authentic Korean restaurant in the city. The two hit it off, but he’s also experiencing child woes: his adult son is dating a US-born woman. Will Sumi wake up from her coma? If so, how will she react to Sara’s meddling? Despite their advancing years, will Sara and Sam find what they need in each other?

The opening of The Mother And The Bear is a little odd. Sumi is leaving somewhere (the school, maybe?) and drops her keys into the snow right next to her car. Then out of nowhere, she’s in an alley somewhere, presumably near her vehicle. There’s no audible cue to tip the audience what’s going on. It might have existed, but the music definitely drowned it out if that is the case. It is a strange way of staging the inciting incident, especially since it is largely unnecessary.

“Sara vows to stay in the Windy City until her estranged daughter wakes up. She also decides to ‘fix’ Sumi’s life.”

The best element of this sequence is the voice-over voicemails, which establish how needy and overbearing Sara is. It is established that Sumi never answers her mom’s calls or contacts her later on. The way these messages are interwoven into Sumi’s nighttime activities before the accident is absolutely excellent. It establishes the main relationship in a creative and engaging manner.

But the best thing about The Mother And The Bear overall is Ho-Jung. The actor is by turns annoying, loving, sweet, exhausting, amusing, frustrating, and absolutely charming. In the wrong hands, Sara would be as despicable as Fiona from Shrek 4, but Ho-Jung finds the right balance of naivety, patience, love, and irritation to be likable and relatable. Pedroso is always quite good, quietly conveying strength and love in an awkward position during Amaya and Sara’s first meeting. Lee is also charming and sweet as the befuddled and earnest romantic lead.

Marie-Hélène L. Delorme’s score is unexpected in all the right ways. The story isn’t underscored by simple strings and a horn when needed. No, the composer uses a more driven beat and ethereal sound to highlight the fish-out-of-water moments. This is most apparent in the scene with the bear (watch the film to find out why there’s a bear and what happens when it shows up). It is cosmically epic but also romantically sweeping at the same time.

The Mother And The Bear is a very different spin on the romantic comedy and self-actualization tale. By combining the two, Johnny Ma creates a distinct and engaging story. It is led by the brilliant Kim Ho-Jung, who is aided by a wonderful supporting cast. The music also does a lot of heavy-lifting, emotionally speaking, and everything just comes together in a truly sweet and life-affirming way.

For more information, visit the official The Mother And The Bear site.