MOTHER — CANNES 2009

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Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho draws back a rubber band of suspense above a wrongfully imprisoned son before letting it snap back via the caring hand of his mother — brilliantly played by Kim Hye-ja.

"Mother" premiered at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival where the film's gathering storm of critical buzz began.

"Mother" doesn't disappoint.

Hye-ja is working as an herbalist and unlicensed acupuncturist when her mentally-disabled teenaged son Do-joon gets thrown in the pokey over the brutal murder of a local girl.

Since the community is perfectly content with the verdict, Hye-ja is forced to take up the daunting task of solving the case herself. Believing the real murderer to be her son's pal Jin-tae, Hye-ja stalks her prey with patience and cunning.

2010 is turning out to be a great year for foreign mysteries, with fascinating offerings like "Mother," "The Red Riding Trilogy" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

The mood of "Mother" is appropriately dark and brooding.

This mother doesn’t take any prisoners.

Rated R. 128 mins.