Our take
The subject of the Catholic Pieta– the Virgin Mary cradling the corpse of Jesus– has captivated plenty of artists, most famously in the sculpture by Michelangelo in St. Peter’s Basilica. This time, however, director Kim Ki-duk twists the image into modern day Seoul, with a mourning mother and a loan shark in place of their more innocent inspirations. Though with more dialogue than his other works, Kim delves into this crime thriller with his signature slow burn, crafting an intense, emotional healing for the gruff, violent Lee Kang-do, while his past deeds come to catch up with him, and while he reckons with the way money has replaced all what makes life meaningful. While the (thankfully, pseudo-) incest may be hard to stomach, Pieta is nonetheless a haunting, compelling portrayal of revenge. Just don’t watch this with your mom, though.
The story
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Elsewhere
"This tidy, ultimately moving thriller about a loan shark who meets a woman claiming to be his mother offers up the director's vintage blend of cruelty, wit and moral complexity."
— Leslie Felperin
Lee Kang-do, a brutal loan shark enforcer, is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after he is followed by a woman who claims to be his long-lost mother.
The image of the eel slithering down the stairs still sticks to my mind long after watching. It's a visual hint to what's to come, but it's also just plain disturbing.
Dear loan shark, I’m so sorry I wasn't your mother, the movie.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
"Succeeds in repulsing and enlightening viewers simultaneously, even if its views on self-sacrifice and redemption are cynical."
— Max Kyburz