Sohan_Composer
The story is amazing. the lead role melt slowly like an ice in the movie. screenplay is just outstanding. this movie is a bit slow but slowly it'll drag you in. it starts with violence but end up with emptiness. it'll make you feel like you loose your mother at the end. The mom acted so good & realistic. The Revenge & twist was so good which will make you think about re-watching. its a worth watching Korean movie. i give it 10/10 without any doubt !
ronchow
I have to admit I like films by Kim Ki-duk, the first from him that I saw being "Spring, Summer, ....", which got me hook to his works. Pieta has his signature all over it. However, in his attempt to shock and entice his audience with a very unlikely and yet twisted plot, he went astray. A city in Korea was painted as totally lawless, with thugs breaking people's arms at will and getting away with it. Loan sharks were above the law and charged exorbitant fees and, in the event the borrower could not pay up, resorted to having an enforcer break limbs for insurance money. And the police was never in sight or called for.To sit through this film you have to endure scenes of rape, torture, incest, and implied gore. You do need a fairly good stomach to put up with these parts of the story. In the end, it is all about vengeance, a theme exploited heavily by Korean directors in the past decade.Kim could have made a better film had he not been obsessed with shocking the audience. Tone the film down a little, make it a bit more credible, and we could have a film that we can believe in, and characters that we can sympathize with. As is, it is too surreal, grotesque and falls into the category of style over substance.
FilmCriticLalitRao
Kim Ki Duk's 18th film "Pieta" describes the extent to which a loan shark would debase himself in order to recover money from penniless outcasts. This debt collector's methods are perversely mean as well as extremely violent. It is in such a hostile climate of mistrust that the arrival of a woman brings about some unforeseen changes which would completely transform their respective lives. However, there are no pleasant surprises for anybody as the woman turns out to be as beastly as her ill-natured son whom she left many years ago. By abetting her son in several vile actions, she proves that blood is thicker than water. The film's sole trump is its realistic portrayal of the underbelly of South Korean society with its unlucky outcasts who find it impossible to survive in a harsh capitalist world. It has been observed time and again that Kim Ki Duk's films are not appreciated by masses in his native land as viewers are highly skeptical of his pessimistic vision which portrays south Korean society as well as women in a negative light. This is one of the principal reasons why Kim Ki Duk's films end up being what can rightly be termed as "Film Festival Fodder". This is also the case with "Pieta" as it was rewarded at various international film festivals despite having been dubbed as a 'domestic box office failure'. Pieta is a very painful cinematographic experience which only loyal Kim Ki Duk admirers would be able to digest. As far as viewers ignorant of Kim Ki Duk's misanthropic vision are concerned, it is surmised that they would also leave the cinemas before the end of the film as it would not be in their interests to digest Kim Ki Duk's harsh cynicism.
billcr12
Pieta is a Korean crime drama dealing with a guy who is a collector for a loan shark. His methods are unconventional, as he repeatedly has the people who owe large debts cripple themselves in order to cash insurance claims. This occurs over and over again, until he is suddenly followed everywhere by a strange woman who claims to be the mother who abandoned him at birth. She moves intro his apartment to cook and clean for her now grown up son. He is a vicious criminal with a sadistic streak. The lead actor and actress are very good, but the story meanders as we wait for the conclusion. This is the often told tale of revenge, but I found it slow and repetitive. Pieta is technically well made but not worth it in the end.
AD
