Pieta
South Korea / 2012 / 104 min.
Director: KIM Ki-duk
[Introduction]
The protagonist of this film is a man who has a peculiar method of retrieving debts: he takes out insurance policies on borrowers, inflicts serious injuries on them, and then collects the payouts. With no parents or siblings, he leads a solitary existence until a middle-aged woman enters his life and begins to follow him around. She claims to be the mother who abandoned him when he was very young. The man is initially suspicious, but gradually comes to accept her as his mother. He ultimately decides to quit his current profession, but then the woman is abducted by unknown assailants. The man does the rounds of people who bear a grudge against him and eventually tracks the woman down, but comes face-to-face with a truth that he would have been better off not knowing... The latest from KIM Ki-duk, who became the first South Korean filmmaker to win the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion, is a masterpiece that takes a simple approach and yet delivers a powerful blow to the emotions of viewers. LEE Jung-jin is highly impressive in the role of the man, but CHO Min-soo's performance as the mother is unforgettable. The small factories and other scenery of Seoul's Cheonggyecheon district, where KIM says he worked in his youth, is used to great effect.
KIM Ki-duk
Born in 1960. Studied fine arts in France before making his directorial debut in 1996 with "Crocodile". In 2000, his Venice Film Festival competition entry "The Isle" sparked controversy for its depictions of violence, but also brought him instant international recognition. A provocative filmmaker, KIM's unique aesthetic permeates his works including "Address Unknown" (2001), his second consecutive film to be selected by the Venice Film Festival; "Samaritan Girl" (2004), winner of the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear award for best director; and "3-Iron" (2004), winner of the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion award for best director. After a three-year hiatus from directing, he returned with "Arirang" (11) which was chosen for the opening screening at last year's TOKYO FILMeX. With "Pieta", winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, KIM completes his triumphant comeback.
＜Chairperson of the Jury＞
SABU,JAPAN / Director,Actor
＜The jury＞
Dan FAINARU,Israel / Film Critic
HATA Shoko,Japan / Film Critic
Fatemeh MOTAMED-ARYA,Iran / Actress
Valerie-Anne CHRISTEN,FRANCE / Head of the uniFrance films Tokyo Office
