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Pieta

  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Pieta (2012)
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
60 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.

  • Director
    • Kim Ki-duk
  • Writer
    • Kim Ki-duk
  • Stars
    • Jo Min-soo
    • Lee Jung-Jin
    • Woo Ki-hong
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Writer
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Stars
      • Jo Min-soo
      • Lee Jung-Jin
      • Woo Ki-hong
    • 48User reviews
    • 133Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 25 wins & 30 nominations total

    Videos1

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:03
    Theatrical Version

    Photos60

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    + 56
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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Jo Min-soo
    Jo Min-soo
    • Mi-seon
    Lee Jung-Jin
    Lee Jung-Jin
    • Gang-Do
    • (as Jeong-jin Lee)
    Woo Ki-hong
    Woo Ki-hong
    • Hoon-chul
    • (as Ki-Hong Woo)
    Eunjin Kang
    Eunjin Kang
    • Myeong-ja (Hoon-Chul's wife)
    Cho Jae-ryong
    • Tae-seung
    • (as Jae-ryong Cho)
    Myeong-ja Lee
    Myeong-ja Lee
    • Mother of Suicidal Man
    Heo Joon-seok
    Heo Joon-seok
    • Suicidal Man
    • (as Jun-seok Heo)
    Kwon Yul
    Kwon Yul
    • Machinist with the Guitar
    Mun-su Song
    Mun-su Song
    • Borrower Who Climbs the Steps
    Beom-jun Kim
    • Myeongdong Man
    Son Jong-hak
    Son Jong-hak
    • Boss
    Jin Yong-wook
    Jin Yong-wook
    • Shop Owner in Wheelchair
    Yu Ha-bok
    • Container man
    • (as Ha-bok Yu)
    Kim Jae-rok
    Kim Jae-rok
    • Monk
    Won-jang Lee
    • Sang-gu
    • Director
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Writer
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews48

    7.116.4K
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    Featured reviews

    7ajit2106

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

    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.
    7badar1981

    Daring. Bold. Horrifying. Human

    Pieta is the story of revenge in a most brutal way possible by giving one's own life, a story of mother's love for his son. Story tells us the extreme measures taken by a mother to take the revenge from a non-human brutal loan shark.

    Jung-Jin Lee is living a lonely life whose sole purpose is to recover the loan from other people by making them cripple and claiming their insurance money. In doing so he has become so cold inside that he feels nothing and know no pain. Brutality is the everyday life matter.

    Enters a woman stirring everything by claiming that she is his mother. she make him feel love, make him angry and make him feel pain just to take the revenge of her son. And when Jung-Jin starts to feel human again, she inflicted the deep scar into his soul by giving her own life.

    Movie is full of disturbing content and makes for a haunting viewing. I am a fan of south Korean cinema and this movie takes the love affair to another level.

    8/10
    9Misss25

    Love can melt a cruel person

    Korean thriller movies always surpries me with it's ending. We get through one concept and it turns to be another. While I was watching this, I thought it is a story of mother and son who were somehow separated. But the movie proves me wrong. Its not about the separation and reunion of mother son its about untold revenge.
    CinemaClown

    A Tragic Story of Love, Loss, Revenge & Redemption.

    The 18th feature film written & directed by Korean cinema's most notorious filmmaker, Pietà tells the story of a sadistic loan shark who ends up crippling people for not paying their debts, which after added interest is 10 times the amount they borrowed. Torturing with no feelings, his life takes a changing course when a middle-aged woman claiming to be his long lost mother comes into his life out of nowhere.

    The film has all the disturbing elements one expects from Kim Ki-duk and although the first half has no easy-to-digest moments, the second half plays out very well to end on a satisfying, even rewarding, note. Cinematography reflects the appalling nature of the subject matter while editing presents a well-sought balance. The performances are pretty impressive from its two leads & the rest of filmmaking aspects are finely executed as well.

    On an overall scale, Pietà is a highly tragic story of love, loss, revenge & redemption that has much more to offer than just disgust its viewers. Sure, Kim Ki-duk takes extreme pleasure in making his audience flinch but he also backs it up with enough justifications for the violence in his films. Shocking, unnerving, pitiful, haunting & infused with Christian symbolisms, Pietà is an unsettling psychological study of a mother-son relationship that also presents a fascinating take on what famously is Korean cinema's favourite genre.
    7Leofwine_draca

    The director's darkest yet

    As a massive fan of Korean director Kim Ki-duk - I've never seen a film of his I haven't loved - I was eager to see what delights his new film PIETA had in store for the viewer. In some ways it's similar to a lot of his previous filmography, like BAD GUY, in which the protagonist is also the antagonist, and also similar to other Korean films I've seen like BREATHLESS.

    The main character is a ruthless loan shark who makes a living from crippling those who owe him money; he gets the money back from their insurance claims. The glacial Lee Jeong-jin gives an icy turn as a truly horrible creation, but inevitably he thaws a little once you get to know him, and once the plot kicks in. This is a revenge story, but one done in a way that's both subtle and convoluted; it's a film that rewards close attention, else you won't have a clue what's going on.

    Jo Min-soo bags the film's most interesting role of the long-lost mother who turns up seeking reconciliation. It's a difficult, unsympathetic part to play, and there are one or two sexual situations which go way beyond the realms of bad taste into some of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. As ever, though PIETA isn't really an explicit film, despite the sheer quantity of violent incidents that happen during the running time, and as a story it gets more and more engrossing as it goes on. The end is particularly profound, and the lush cinematography on a tiny budget makes this a beautiful film to watch, despite the depravity.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shot digitally on two Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR cameras. The director operated one of the cameras himself.
    • Quotes

      Gang-Do: What is money?

      Mi-Son: Money? The beginning and end of all things. Love, honor, violence, fury, hatred, jealousy, revenge, death.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2012 (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Happy Birthday to You
      (uncredited)

      By Patty S. Hill and Mildred J. Hill

      Performed by Jo Min-soo

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Pieta?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 6, 2012 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Sự Cứu Rỗi
    • Filming locations
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • Good Film
      • Finecut
      • Kim Ki-Duk Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €103,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,080
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,222
      • May 19, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,616,296
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 43m(103 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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