The title of "Saint" is taken from the famous statue of Michelangelo. It tells the story of a cruel and cold-blooded loan shark (played by Lee Jung-jin) at the age of 30 who first met his mother (played by Jo Min-soo) who abandoned him. After the unpleasant and heart-wrenching recognition, it was rare to enjoy the joy of family and family. The son was like half of the dead Jesus in the statue, lying peacefully in his mother's arms. But it seems that in order to complete the redemption, the mother chose the extreme way of punishing her son, pointing to the ultimate place that is still indispensable in Kim Ki-deok's movies-death.
This is far more than a tragedy that the West has long been familiar with. Kim Ki-duk, who was proud of the spring breeze at the press conference, emphasized that Koreans have a natural tragic aesthetic psychology. "Our tragic stories are often staged on TV with a much more tragic appearance."
As one of the most sought-after literary film directors in Europe, Kim Ki-duk But frankly: "I am more popular and well-known here than in Korea. I have never been able to enter the mainstream Korean cultural circle, but I also hope that through some well-received and popular movies, domestic audiences can re-understand themselves."
Regarding the dilapidated neighborhood destroyed by money, desire and debt in the movie, and the 360-degree change of temperament of the Satan-like son after meeting his mother, Kim Ki-duk also admitted that this is a critique of the capitalist system, "in modern life and social relations Of course, money is essential and vital, but there are some complex emotions that cannot be explained by money.”
For Korean media and audiences, "Saint" has a direct insinuation about the history of Seoul's urban development and the political ecology of South Korea. The river in the movie is the stench of the Qingchuan River since the 1950s. In the 1970s, it was mostly covered by a cement-surface viaduct, and the surrounding shanty towns and the abandoned workshop workers who were living in debt to live in it also became Then there is the long-standing and difficult problem in urban governance. During the reign of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, he started the governance of Cheongcheon Stream and the surrounding shanty towns. After dropping out of middle school, Kim Ki-duk worked in these small workshops and factories in shanty towns. At the age of 10 (1970), he witnessed the famous "Self-immolation incident of Jeon Tae-il, a tailor", which has since ignited the Korean social movement. Kim Ki-duk himself was deeply affected by the violent behavior of the labor movement. In the "Presidential Election of the Republic of Korea" to be held at the end of 2012, the personal experiences of some important candidates can be more imprinted from this film about the relationship between mother and son.
The first half of "Saint" is still full of unpleasant scenes of extreme violence. At the press conference, reporters also mentioned the most embarrassing details. In view of possible spoilers, I won't go into details.
View more about Pieta reviews
