Lady Vengeance

The history of cinema is full of angry, vindictive characters. Most of them are men, but there are some women too. Park Chan-wook’s Lady Vengeance introduces us to a woman who, after several years in prison, has planned her revenge to the very last detail. As the film starts, we don’t know why she seeks revenge, reconciliation, and renewed balance, and this uncertainty contributes to driving the plot forward. Bit by bit, Park draws a portrait of a highly complex lady burdened by a great and tragic grief.

Park’s narration is masterful as always, creating an ambitious cinematic puzzle piece that delights us and amazes us. Like the previous two instalments of his revenge trilogy, Lady Vengeance is visually confident and unique. Burning candles, halos, and religious references abound, mixed with deep red colours, blood and tears.

Park Chan-wook (b. 1963) from South Korea is one of the world's foremost contemporary filmmakers. He has directed a number of visually spectacular and immersive films, and got his international breakthrough with JSA: Joint Security Area (2000) and Oldboy (for which he won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 2003). Thematically, many of his characters are motivated by revenge.