One of the most well-known clichés in film is the “fish out of water” scenario. However, this concept is given a unique and revitalizing take in the film The Mother and the Bear, a dreamlike comedy-drama where a dominant Korean mother journeys to the bleak, cold city of Winnipeg to be near her unconscious daughter, Sumi, who was hurt after slipping on the icy streets. Upon arriving, she comes up with a plan to impersonate someone online to connect with a suitable Korean-Canadian man, hoping he will become Sumi’s boyfriend once she regains consciousness.
The movie is clearly multicultural, yet in a natural way. It is a Canadian film (though it’s technically a Canada-Chile collaboration), created by Johnny Ma, a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker who primarily lives in Vancouver but also spends time in Mexico. It features Korean actress Kim Ho-jung in the role of Sara, the mother.
The film was shot and takes place in Winnipeg, a city that Ma depicts with evident fondness, even though he hasn’t lived there outside the boundaries of the movie’s production, which occurred from March to April 2023.
Ma showcased the film at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, marking a sort of homecoming for him as Toronto was the city that welcomed him from Shanghai when he was ten years old. Before settling in Vancouver, where he established himself as a filmmaker, he had already created notable works such as Old Stone, which received the best Canadian first feature award at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, and To Live to Sing (2019), both of which were filmed in China.
I’m a distinctive Canadian, yet I’m also distinctly Canadian,” Ma states. “And this is a uniquely Canadian trait that we all possess—having multicultural inclinations and backgrounds. It’s a place rich with various cultures. I believe that due to my background in Toronto, I’ve learned how to communicate with people from different cultures and how to understand them.
So this initiative that combines three different cultures, and in some strange way, it was particularly suitable for me.
The origin of The Mother and the Bear, his initial film shot in Canada, stems from a film festival in Seoul, where he encountered a woman who ran a hostel and was very interested in learning about the dating culture in North America. She was worried about her daughter, who resided in Cincinnati. To put it simply, this conversation sparked his creativity, even though Cincinnati was never considered as a filming location.
“The initial story I wrote was actually set in Cincinnati,” Ma explains, noting that his Chilean production collaborators brought in a Canadian partner — Rhombus Media — and recommended a Canadian setting instead.
I assumed they would talk about Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and similar cities, and I was just thinking that’s not the narrative. It isn’t effective there.
Instead, Rhombus producer Niv Fichman proposed Winnipeg, which is not surprising given that the Winnipeg-based Fichman has produced works by Guy Maddin such as The Saddest Music in the World and Forbidden Room.
I was truly on the verge of confronting him about what he was about to say. However, I ended up saying, ‘Wait, that’s really interesting.’ As a Canadian filmmaker, I’ve always been intrigued by Winnipeg filmmakers since their work stands out as completely unique compared to anything seen in Canada or globally.
So I thought: Alright, if I’m going on an adventure—and creating a film is definitely an adventure—I saw this as a chance to discover Winnipeg.
And what I discovered about it is that there’s a warmth in the chill,” he remarks. “Winter is a season when you turn your focus inward.
Two years ago, I lost my father, and then we faced the pandemic,” he says. “I needed to be in Winnipeg, and that place helped me. It was the most creative I’ve ever felt in Canada. So for me, it was like a thank-you note to Winnipeg because that’s who I made the film for in a way.
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