Line #20 Film/Pieta


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poster_768x1098_5.jpg]]
2	-> '''Kang-do''': ''"What is money?"''
3	-> '''Mi-Sun''': ''"Money? The beginning and end of all things. Love, honor, violence, fury, hatred, jealousy, revenge, death."''
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5	Pietà is a 2012 thriller/drama directed by Ki-duk Kim. It centers around a man named Lee Kang-do, who is a loan shark and known to be brutal and cruel. One day, he is follow by a mysterious woman Jang Mi-sun who claims to be his lost mother. Initially, Kang-do shrugs her off, but later accepts her.
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7	It uses a lot of Christian themes and symbolism, but since it's by Ki-duk Kim, expect a lot of NightmareFuel and TearJerker scenes.
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9	This movie is notable for being the first Korean-language film to win [[UsefulNotes/LeoneDOro Golden Lion award]] at Venice Film Festival, and also the very first Korean film to win the top prize at one of big 3 film festival - Berlin, Cannes, and Venice.
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14	!!This film provides examples of:
15	* CharacterDevelopment: Throughout the film, Kang-do transform from a cruel and sadistic to a vulnerable and emotional man who learns what it means to be a true human.
16	* DespairEventHorizon: Many characters are pushed into this due to the loss of their love ones.
17	* DownerEnding: ''Hoo boy''.
18	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Kang-do is a pretty terrible guy by all accounts, but he grows to love Mi-sun and becomes somewhat of a better person for it. Unfortunately it's not enough to save him.
19	* FreudianExcuse: Kang-do is very angry at his mother for abandoning him as a child, and some of his brutality seems to stem from never being loved by anyone. Once he gets love from Mi-sun, he becomes a better person.
20	* LaserGuidedKarma:[[spoiler:Kang-do's character arc is basically this with deconstruction.]]
21	* LoanShark: Kang-do works as an enforcer for a loan shark. If the debtors can't pay, Kang-do's job is to maim them so his boss can collect insurance money.
22	* MamaBear: Mi-sun is incredibly protective Kang-do, willing to chew out random people who give him a hard time despite barely knowing him. [[spoiler: She puts herself through a whole lot of grief, including being raped by Kang-do who she secretly hates, in order to get revenge for her real son.]]
23	* MissingMom: Kang-do's mother wasn't around when he was growing up, which seems to have contributed to his brutality. When he first meets Mi-sun, he claims to not have a mother.
24	* MoralMyopia: The people who are victimize or lost their relative thanks to Kang-do turns out to be no better, as they feel no empathy toward Kang-do's causes.
25	* ParentalIncest: Kang-do rapes Mi-sun at one point. Later on she gives him handjobs in a seemingly consensual manner.
26	* ThePowerofLove: Jang Mi-sun's motherly love and caring helps Kang-do learns how to love and feel empathy and suffering for the first time.
27	* PietaPlagiarism: The main characters positions mimic it on theatrical posters and the actual Pieta sculpture is feature on DVD.
28	* {{Revenge}}: One of the recurring themes of the film. [[spoiler: Mi-Sun integrates herself into Kang-do's life as an elaborate plot to avenge her real son, who was harmed by Kang-do.]]

Context Film / Pieta