Set in snowy Winnipeg, the comedy-drama The Mother and the Bear is Johnny Ma’s new film about a mother’s journey to reconnect with her distant daughter.
The story follows Sara (played by Kim Ho-jung), a Korean widow who flies into Canada after her adult daughter Sumi (Leere Park) falls into a coma. Alongside them are Lee Won-jae, Jonathan Kim, and Amara Pedroso, forming a warm, surprising ensemble in Ma’s most whimsical feature yet.
Executive produced by Pablo LarraÍn (No, The Club, Tony Manero, Jackie, El Conde), Johnny Ma’s third feature premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and is set for a theatrical release in the US on January 2, 2026..
After 26-year-old Sumi suffers an accident on the streets of wintry Winnipeg, her overbearing mother Sara (Kim Ho-jung) flies in from Seoul to be by her now comatose daughter’s side.
Desperate to ensure Sumi will have someone to look after her in the future, Sara embarks on a mission to catfish a suitable (preferably Korean) husband before her daughter wakes up.
However, as Sara meddles in Sumi’s life via a dating app, she ends up on a journey that will leave her forever changed., Sara embarks on a mission to catfish a suitable (preferably Korean) husband before her daughter wakes up. However, as Sara meddles in Sumi’s life via a dating app, she ends up on a journey that will leave her forever changed.
In an interview with Asian Movie Pulse, Johnny Ma reflected on the cross-cultural heart of the film, noting how he deliberately used visual and narrative cues borrowed from Korean media, saying “The editing of the film was also done in Chile. They didn’t understand this [media] language, so I had to show them Korean dramas. In Korean dramas, for example, sometimes there is [the bleating of] a goat [to underscore an awkward scene]. It’s a language. So we had to learn that language and find a way to use it.”
Gazettely in their review gave the film a score of 8, writing, “This film brings sweet gifts despite small flaws in its delivery. At the core lies a treasure—Kim Ho-jung’s unaffected portrayal of Sara’s journey to understand traditions evolving alongside her daughter. Her grace guides us past the surface to humanity’s hidden shores.”
Watch the official trailer for The Mother and the Bear above.
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