Pieta (2012) Reviews

• Pieta at the Venice Film Festival

  artalways2012-10-11

  Directed by Kim Ki-duk Pieta is director Kim Ki-duk's eighteenth movie. When this fact appeared on the screen, a spontaneous applause erupted. Hugely under-appreciated at home, Kim Ki-duk is well-known beyond the borders of his country South-Korea. He does not conform to any rules, doesn't avoid sensitive subjects, and shows the harshness of life without any scruples, political, humanistic and in a very physical confronting approach. It is true that his films are usually not an easy watch; they certainly do not conform to idea that film equals entertainment. The free thinking soul will see that Kim Ki-duk's movies are not made to shock the audience just for the sake of it, but to show the thoughts of a brave artist, who exhibits a rare vulnerability and a frightening honesty in his approach to his subjects. Actress Cho Min-soo who portrays the character Mi-son in the movie declares during the press conference: "His films are eyes to reality." Apparently she and Lee Jung-Jin, who brilliantly plays main character Gang-Do, barely knew who Kim Ki-duk was when they were asked to play the parts. They tell the press that during the process of making the movie they learned to act in a completely different way. Made with a budget that is just a fraction of Korean film budgets these days, outsider Pieta entices the jury and the public, and makes a far more lasting impression than other more obvious candidates like "To the Wonder,""At any price" and "Fill the void." Even though malicious rumors say that the jury wanted to award "The Master" all the big prizes, Kim's film is rightfully the recipient of the Golden Lion. Accepting the prize, Kim thanked the actors, staff, film festival officials and Italian fans before bursting into a traditional Korean song. The story of the film is about lone wolf, self-absorbed: masturbating, crazy moralless man who lends money to desperate workers of the industrial slum of Cheonggyecheon. He charges ten times the borrowed sum in interest. If his clients don't pay up, Gang-do cripples them, taking the insurance payments on their injuries to make up for the difference. His character is a metaphor for extreme capitalism. Kim commented: "...but not the money itself, you can change the face of money. Money is the third character." Then a women shows up at his doorstep, claiming to be the mother who abandoned him as a baby. He tests her in some gruesome ways, before he acknowledges her presence and even begins to show signs of affection towards her. Mi-son also proves herself to him by being just as ruthless as him. They form a frightful but also strangely intriguing duo. The grim story finds some more breathing space for the audience towards the end, but a bitter aftertaste remains. What makes Kim Ki-duk an excellent storyteller is that most of the graphic cruelty is not shown, but actually takes place in the viewer's imagination. He is able to show real life images that can represent abstract ideas. He can make an audience relate to his characters even though they are immoral and almost heartless human beings, doing this with so much ease is remarkable. It is a rare quality to be able to find beauty in the most harsh places and to somehow convey this strange beauty to the screen. To make you believe in the story, without realizing it is perhaps an absurd one. And maybe most important: to make the viewer emotionally gripped, while talking about universal human issues, emotions and ideas even though there are cultural differences that separate audience and filmmaker. Kim Ki-duk: "(Pieta is) an embrace to the whole of humanity. The movie is dedicated to humankind."

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• a moment of transcendence

  syshim2012-09-09

  The very last scene of this movie would linger in your mind for quite a while. In Kim Ki-Duk's movies, you may find holes in storyline or awkwardness in acting. However, Kim never fails to give stunning visual images via which you could fly to another world in an instant. In my opinion, elaborate scenarios or experienced actors/actresses are not prerequisite for Kim's movies. His movies are like abstract paintings or poems. They are not supposed to be realistic and are essentially vague in meaning. Do not expect his movies to be kind to give enough explanations. You should find their meaning with your own imagination. At the expense of being confused and tortured with puzzling metaphors, you could reach the land of poetic beauty and religious purification. This moment of transcendence is what I expect from art, any kind including movie.

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• Pieta- A rare character study by Kim Ki-Duk- Vivid and ruthless cinema making

  ajit21062012-12-24

  Pieta (Meaning- A representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the dead body of Jesus) a new film from Kim Ki-Duk, one of the genius directors working today. Like his other movies, it is no different as it has all his key ingredients like; less dialogues, rural setting, on location shoot, assessment of relations and definitely metaphors. The story of the film revolves around a depraved loan-shark who is reasonably heated, loaned money to the employees of industrial field. He beats and cripples the people who cannot pay the interests which is 10 times. The anger and sheer violence has become a part of his frenzy life. Unexpectedly, enters a woman in his life claiming to be his mother who had abandoned him in his childhood. Presentation of relationship between these two people is fairly shocking and humane at the same time and it leads to an aftermath eventually. Kim Ki-Duk has done some great character study here; it shows the moment of transcendence, ecstasy, agony and fulfillment. A revenge story will always have its murky side but keeping all the clichés aside, it makes you think that storytelling can change your life. You can feel the cruelty however; it is only suggestive and not happening on the screen, it can shake the ethics of humankind. Highly recommended to the lovers of quality and Kim Ki-Duk movies.

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• PIETA, Kim Ki Duk's finest film to date!!!

  database19832012-10-16

  PIETA, the recipient of the Golden Lion award in Venice is a deeply moving film which is so far, Kim Ki Duk's best film and seems to be the most mainstream looking one. I've seen PIETA in Busan International Film Festival 2012 in Sohyang Musical Center, Busan South Korea and I was so lucky that actors Cho Min Soo and Lee Jung Jin had a guest visit after the film and also entertained questions from the audience. I had my expectations that the film will be violent, sadistic but very good as I've seen a lot of Kim Ki Duk film in the past. But after the credits rolled, I did not expect it to be better than "3-Iron" or "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" but Pieta has really a breathtaking, very strong and solid storyline about how love, money and revenge can affect people and push them to their extreme limits. Kang Do and the woman who is claiming to be his mother had a very close and also the worst and morally twisting situations while they were together. The main actors did a great job in showing the different layers of their characters and portrayed effectively how anger, fear, love can destroy and shatter their souls. Overall as a Kim Ki Duk follower, Pieta is his best work to date and possibly the one that can pull more audiences just like Lars Von Trier to Melancholia. Pieta is a very provocative and moving film that will make its audience uneasy but will make them rethink about the value of relationship, love or even money.

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• Not Easy to Watch,but...

  lozden2013-01-05

  Pieta,winner of Venice's 2012 Golden Lion is another disturbing,compelling,metaphorical Kim Ki-Duk masterpiece.The plot unfolds as an unusual revenge story yet the metaphors tell another tale. Named after Michelangelo's masterpiece housed in St.Peter's Basilica in Vatican,Pieta is not easy to watch but a thought-provoking experience about the misdeeds of industrial capitalism and how it slowly and finally drains the vitality from those who are not able to cope while creating monsters of others.The mystery that surrounds the two main characters lend an almost 'eerie' atmosphere to the film which is typical of Kim Ki-Duk. Definitely not for the faint-hearted,the pleasure seeker or the romantic...this is a serious film and certainly a rewarding experience for the true 'cinephile'.

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