AFC Film Screening - THE MOTHER AND THE BEAR

Set against a snow-covered Winnipeg, schoolteacher Sumi (Leere Park) is hospitalized after a fall, leaving her anxious mother Sara (Kim Ho-jung) to fly from Seoul to be at her comatose daughter’s side.

While staying in Sumi’s apartment, Sara begins to realize how little she truly knows about her daughter’s life. Distressed by Sumi’s single status, Sara impulsively catfishes the kind-hearted Min (Jonathan Kim), to be Sumi’s boyfriend — once she wakes up, of course —and becomes unexpectedly entangled with Min’s estranged father Sam (Won-Jae Lee), who runs a Korean restaurant in the city.

As Sara and the widowed Sam bond over shared loneliness, a chance encounter with Sumi’s co-worker Amaya (Amara Pedroso Saquel) slowly reveals the life Sumi has chosen to keep hidden from her mother.

Director: Johnny Ma

Country: Canada

Year: 2025

Stars: Kim Ho-jung, Lee Won-jae & Jonathan Kim

Language: English & Korean Running Time: 100 min

TAGS: Crown-Pleasing, Family Ties, Character-Driven, Arthouse Sensation & Visially Engaging

CONTENT ADVISORY: Sexual Innuendo