Lady Vengeance

Damn powerful stuff. Park Chan-wook is the definitive revenge director and this movie gives a lot to think about.  Can vengeance really lead to the atonement you seek? Can you somehow undo the sins of your past? Does the guilt ever go away?  Geum ja certainly tries her hardest to purify herself, to make things right.  (Spoilers) I enjoy the first half of this movie certainly, but the second half is the real attraction here. That’s really where everything goes down. The tonal shift as well as the visual and cinematic changes are masterfully done. It feels like an entirely different movie. It becomes a lot more somber and that goes well with the themes. We are talking about a man who has killed 5 children and recorded himself doing it. The scenes involving the parents of the children are incredible. Showing anger and hatred in this way is masterful. Everyone, given the chance, chooses violent revenge. Even if they are aware that this does nothing to change anything, they do it. And we understand it. Yet, there is still something deeply troubling about torturing a defenceless man to death. Even if it is deserved. They will have to live with this decision. Is Geum ja liberated from her sins? She doesn’t think so. Does she want to be free from them? Yes, very much so. After this plan that was 13 years in the making she still feels guilt. All this conveyed with a cake. Damn the visuals are great in this. Damn that tape scene is horrible. Damn Chan-wook is climbing in my favourite directors.