Pietà (2012)

I can’t recall the last time I felt such vehement hatred for a main character as I did for Gang-Do (Jung-Jin Lee). He's a deplorable, detestable shit-bag money collector for a loan shark. The realism that Dir. Kim Ki-duk strives for makes the actions that Gang-Do takes all the more affecting. If his attitude wasn't already in stark enough relief, when a woman approaches him and claims to be his mother it becomes even clearer.
The film explores many things, among them whether or not being judged or having someone around to make proud will cause us to act differently (essentially nature Vs nurture). It’s an intense journey that shocks and offends repeatedly, so be warned. Both leads rise to the challenge of their role superbly and deserve the maximum praise I can conceivably give.

5 things that shape things out of 5

Samaritan Girl (2004)

In life, some emotions grab us instantly, while some take longer to settle in. Samaritan Girl (aka Samaria) is like that. Parts of it will hit you and parts of it will wait for you. It’s a South Korean thriller about two school girls, best friends, each involved in a different aspect of prostitution. One of the girls is a blank mystery, but the other is crumbling under the weight of some complex emotions. There's an occasional shift in sympathies that adds depth to each of the protagonists. Composer Erik Satie’s ‘Trois Gymnopédies’ appears more than once and is the perfect accompaniment for the way Kim Ki-duk wants us to feel at those times.

3½ assumptions out of 5