Several months after winning the Golden Lion, Pieta has yet to see the kind of hype awarded to its formidable Venice Film Festival rival, The Master. The last trailer for Korean director Kim Ki-Duk’s work was a bit off-putting, and did little to generate any interest in what looks like a genuinely tense, violent drama. As the film prepares to make its theatrical run in the US, it’ll need more powerful stuff to grab an audience.
A second trailer for Pieta was released, and this one packs a more memorable punch – unlike its predecessor, the new one relies less on exposition, and instead chooses to let the film’s bleak footage convey the story of a sadistic thug trying to find redemption in a woman who may or may not be his mother. Though Pieta may never reach the level of recognition that P.T. Anderson’s heralded masterpiece received here, it at least has some promotion deserving of a major award-winning film. See trailer and synopsis via iTunes below:
Synopsis:
Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pietà is the acclaimed film from the celebrated and controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk (Bad Guy; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… And Spring; 3-Iron). In this intense and haunting story, a loan shark living an isolated and lonely existence uses brutality to threaten and collect paybacks from desperate borrowers for his moneylender boss. He proficiently and mercilessly collects the debts without regard to the pain he causes his countless victims. One day, a mysterious woman appears in front of him claiming to be his long-lost mother. After coldly rejecting her at first, he gradually accepts her in his life and decides to quit his cruel job and seek a decent, redemptive life. However, he soon discovers a dark secret stemming from his past and realizes it may be too late to escape the horrific consequences already set in motion from his previous life.
Pieta becomes available on iTunes and VOD on April 26th. The film hits theaters on May 17th.
Do you think the new trailer is an improvement?