The film won the Golden Lion prize at the 69th Venice International Film Festival . At its Venice press screening , it reportedly " elicited extremely mixed reactions " . Hollywood director Michael Mann , who presided over the jury , said the film stood out because it " seduced you viscerally . " The film holds a 72/100 on Metacritic , and Rotten Tomatoes reports 73 % approval among 52 critics . Deborah Young of '' The Hollywood Reporter '' described it as " an intense and , for the first hour , sickeningly violent film that unexpectedly segues into a moving psychological study . " Young gave high praises to the film 's acting performances , however states " it ’s not an exaggeration to say there ’s not a single pleasant moment in the film ’s first half " and " Viewers will keep their eyes closed " for the majority of the film . Young further praised the visual style of the film with " Kim gives scenes a dark , hand-held look in which the frame edge disappears into black shadows . It ’s not a particularly attractive style but does reflect the ugliness of its subject . " Leslie Felperin of '' Variety '' describes it as the director 's " most commercial pic in years " though it nonetheless features the director 's usual trademarks of " brutal violence , rape , animal slaughter and the ingestion of disgusting objects . " Felperin further states the film is a " blend of cruelty , wit and moral complexity . " Dan Fainaru of '' Screen International '' states " Starting with a grisly suicide and ending with a burial , this is n’t an easy or pleasant film to watch . " Oliver Lyttelton of '' IndieWire '' praised the two lead actor 's performances and their on-screen chemistry as mother and son : " there ’s a real tenderness to the two performances , particularly that of Lee , who reverts from a strong-and-silent brute to easing into the childhood that he never got to live . And the disturbing , vaguely Oedipal relationship at the core is a fascinating one ... " However Lyttelton gave the film a C , and criticizes " It 's a shame then , that in the second half of the film , the twisted mother-son relationship shifts gears and becomes something closer to the kind of revenge movie that Korean cinema has become known for . It 's not quite a full-on genre exercise , but it ’s probably the closest to such a thing that Kim 's ever made , and while he has his own twists to provide , it 's still a disappointingly conventional turn for the film to take . "
69th Venice International Film Festival
69th Venice International Film Festival
Pietà (film)