Monday, December 3, 2012

Pietà (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)
Pietà • 피에타 (2012)
Genre: Drama
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Starring: Lee Jung-jin, Jo Min-su
Language: Korean
Duration: 104 min.
Rating: 7.5
Summary:
A ruthless loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his mother.
Pietà is a film written and directed by prolific South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk. It premiered at the 2012 Venice International Film Festival where it won the Golden Lion, making it the first Korean film ever to win the grand prize at a major international festival. It is South Korea's entry to the 85th (2013) Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Kim Ki-duk's 18th film since 1996, is a strange and disturbing tale set in Seoul's rapidly modernizing industrial district that follows a cruel and heartless man who makes collections for loan sharks. Kang-do (Lee Jung-jin), seems like the perfect man for the job, lacking anything resembling compassion for his clients' plight, while also not really taking any pleasure out of the brutalities he exacts on them in order to claim their insurance money either. One day a middle aged woman (Jo Min-su) appears at his door, claiming to be the mother who abandoned him at birth, and that sets him on a twisted path towards humanity.

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

It is a difficult film to watch, featuring some awful ugly themes and cold acts of violence designed to make you squirm. Much of which is only implied, so it's not quite on the same explicit level of some other recent Korean films, but this is still a very dark piece with little light getting through. The backdrop among a formerly prosperous area, now largely deserted and left with winding streets with shuttered workshops; a place with hardly any signs of life and full of debris and despair, adds to the picture's heavy tone.

Here, Kim draws a wide line between full on horror and exaggerated melodrama, using his trademark style. It's one that's technically quite sloppy, with what I would describe as having a lot of b-movie like qualities, but they do enhance the film as much as they hamper it. At times, things like overacting and abrupt editing keep us from being able to take what's on screen too seriously; while on other occasions, the sudden zooms during a long handheld take, make them seem more real.

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Kim toys with a few interesting themes here: capitalism and modernization, man and machine, the bond between a mother and son; and there is a great deal of emotional and metaphoric weight to them, but unfortunately, the narrative settles down a little too much in the second half and turns into something quite conventional and predictable.

So there isn't really anything surprising here. However, it's still an amazing accomplishment how he is able to craft an involving story despite having such an inhuman and uncharismatic protagonist. As a whole, it's a bit of an overrated film that I don't see as being grand prize worthy, but it's still a strong one  Also, the final image has a haunting beauty that will stay with you for a very long time.
Bonjour Tristesse
Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

Pietà • 피에타 (2012)

1 comment:

d_4 said...

I can look forward to this. Glad you say it's not grand prize worthy because that was kinda getting my hopes up, but I still wanna give it a watch.

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