Pietà (2012)
Certified: 18
Duration: 104 minutes
Directed by: Ki-duk Kim
Starring: Jung-Jin Lee, Min-soo Jo
KRS release

Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pietà is a rough ride. Director Kim Ki-duk, who is here directing his 18th feature, has never been afraid to court controversy and this film is further evidence to this.

The plot of Pietà can be described as being about the relationship between a loan shark and his long-lost mother – but that would be oversimplifying things.

It is a more refined film than most coming from South Korea and totally different to Hollywood movies. At times it is really brutal and mixes religious imagery with violence, representing hope and sacrifice.

Pietà works as a thriller, an in-depth drama and also as a character study

Pietà takes the director back to his country as it is based in the Cheongghecheon area of Seoul – a place that shows how a regeneration of an area can turn horribly wrong.

It is oppressive and gloomy and takes a presence of its own in the film. Everyone here seems to be on the verge of poverty, they look hurt and troubled – the perfect prey for loan sharks.

Kang-do (Jung-Jin Lee) is one such loan shark working for a bigger fish (Son Jong-hak). Kang-do is an enforcer who has no qualms about bloodying his hands. He is ready to hurt and maim his victims in order to be able to cash in on their insurance money.

One day, while doing his usual visits and calls, he meets a woman in her 40s who will have quite an impact on his life.

Min-sun (Min-soo Jo) is quite attractive. She follows Kang-do around, preparing him food, helping him hurt his clients and shadowing him all over the place.

At one point she ends up telling him that he is her son and that she had abandoned him when he was a baby. Somehow, this cruel and clinical monster that Kang-do has become, is the result of her actions.

She now wants to make peace with her past and with him. But instead Kang-do humiliates her in a terrible manner.

However, Min-sun slowly starts to chisel into his demeanour and cold armour and he starts to believe that she is truly whom she purports to be. This has an effect on the way he conducts his business and his victims are quite surprised with this change in his modus operandi.

While this makes Kang-do much happier in his outlook on life, he is also now open to retaliation, as Min-sun represents a weak point upon which he can be attacked.

Pietà presents a tale of redemption that is very hard to forget. It is a perfect example of the Korean film-making style: gritty, stylish, economical, brutal, corny and innovative.

It will have you reeling, especially when the film starts to pile on the plot twists that all seem strange yet fitting.

It works on many levels: as a thriller, an in-depth drama and also as a character study. The latter is mostly due to the relationship between the two main protagonists, which captures the bizarre situation and actions excellently.

This is even harder to digest as the main character of Kang-do is so brutal and unsympathetic that it is very hard to actually feel any sympathy for him. But there is also a tender side to it all, making this film even more of a surprise.