Mother's Day made us think of some memorable maternal film characters

Filmmakers always seem to have had a slightly tortured relationship with the mothers they portray on the big screen.

Maybe it's because the film industry is dominated by men, but we are often presented with explorations of characters that dwell on life's extremes, presented through portrayals of pure and malicious evil on the one hand or a mad, high-camp humour that tries to make a mockery of the realities of life, on the other.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho is among the few to have dug a lot deeper in his 2009 thriller . It is a classic of the genre that tries to unravel a few of the many layers that flesh out the relationships with the most important women in our lives.

"Like many other directors, I am curious about this human relationship," says Bong, who brought a remastered black-and-white version of his film to this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival. "I think it is the strongest relationship between humans - the relationship we all have with our mothers.

"This is especially the case in Asian countries, such as Korea, where it seems there is a special connection. The boy comes from inside her, but is of the opposite sex. There is so much going on, so much you can explore. There is a connection there that has many different elements to it and I think that is why this relationship is so popular with directors."

With that in mind, and on the day that we celebrate the lives of those who brought us into the world, here's a look back at some of cinema's greatest mums.