Piety (film)

Piety aka La Pietà (Spanish: La piedad)[1] is a 2022 Spanish-Argentine film directed and written by Eduardo Casanova which stars Ángela Molina and Manel Llunell as Libertad and Mateo in a mother-son toxic relationship. It has been variously billed as a drama, "mother-son horror",[2] and black comedy. It displays camp elements.[3]

Piety
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLa piedad
Directed byEduardo Casanova
Written byEduardo Casanova
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLuis Ángel Pérez
Edited byÁngel Pazos
Music byPedro Onetto
Production
companies
  • Pokeepsie Films
  • Gente Seria AIE
  • Spal Films
  • Link-up
  • Crudo Films
Distributed byBarton Films
Release dates
  • 3 July 2022 (2022-07-03) (Karlovy Vary)
  • 13 January 2023 (2023-01-13) (Spain)
Countries
  • Spain
  • Argentina
Languages
  • Spanish
  • Korean

Plot

Set in 2011,[1] the fiction concerns the toxic mother-son relationship established between Libertad (the mother) and Mateo (the son), formulating an analogy with the relationship of the North-Korean government with its populace.[4][5] The maternal bond is upended by Mateo's cancer diagnosis.[1]

Cast

Production

Ana Belén was the original cast choice for the role of Libertad but she was eventually replaced by Ángela Molina due to the former's stage commitments.[4][7] A Spanish-Argentine co-production, the film was produced by Pokeepsie Films, Gente Seria AIE, Spal Films, Link-up and Crudo Films.[4] Filming began on 27 September 2021.[7] Shooting locations included Madrid and Andalusia.[6] It was shot with dialogue in Spanish and Korean.[8]

Release

The film premiered at 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 3 July 2022,[9] screened as part of the 'Proxima' lineup. It also screened at the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan).[10] It was later selected for the Montreal-based Fantasia International Film Festival.[5] It had its US premiere at the Austin-based Fantastic Fest[11] and also made it to the 55th Sitges Film Festival official selection slate.[12] Distributed by Barton Films,[13] it was theatrically released in Spain on 13 January 2023.[14]

Reception

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Piety has a 75% approval rating based on 8 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[15]

Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, assessing that Casanova manages to deliver "an upsettingly relevant and inherently queer message about relationships between mother and child".[3]

J. Hurtado of Screen Anarchy wrote that "tragicomic to an extreme perhaps only comparable to the best work of Todd Solondz", the film is "gorgeously vulgar and shocking, a film that draws from many to create something absolutely unique".[16]

Accolades
Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
202256th Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalProxima Special Jury PrizeWon[17]
26th Fantasia International Film FestivalSilver Audience Award for Best International FeatureWon[18]
17th Fantastic FestBest Picture (Official Competition)Won[19]
202310th Feroz AwardsArrebato Award (Fiction)Won[20]
30th Festival international du film fantastique de GérardmerGrand PrizeWon[21]
Young Jury PrizeWon
Public PrizeWon
2nd Carmen AwardsBest ActressÁngela MolinaNominated[22][23]
37th Goya AwardsBest Art DirectionMelanie AntónNominated[24]
Best Costume DesignSuevia SampelayoNominated
Best Makeup and HairstylesSarai Rodríguez, Raquel González, Óscar del MonteNominated

See also

References
  1. Stojiljković, Marko (7 July 2022). "Review: Piety". Cineuropa.
  2. Kay, Jeremy (27 September 2022). "'La Pieta', Ali Abbasi director triumph at Fantastic Fest awards". ScreenDaily.
  3. McAndrews, Mary Beth (26 July 2022). "Disturbing New Horror Film 'La Pieta' Tackles Incest, Dying, and Terrible Mothers [Fantasia 2022 Review]". Dread Central.
  4. Boquerini (13 October 2021). "Eduardo Casanova explora la relación tóxica entre una madre y su hijo en 'La piedad'". El Correo.
  5. Jones, Holly (18 July 2022). "'La Piedad,' A Terrifying Take On Attachment, Heads To Fantasia". Variety.
  6. Silvestre, Juan (11 July 2022). "'La piedad': primer y brutal teaser tráiler, en exclusiva, de la película de Eduardo Casanova". Fotogramas.
  7. Chaneta, Rosa (27 September 2021). "Eduardo Casanova sustituye a Ana Belén por Ángela Molina en 'La piedad', que empieza su rodaje". ecartelera.
  8. "La piedad". festivalcinesevilla.eu. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  9. Martínez, Beatriz (12 July 2022). "Eduardo Casanova: "Ganar en Karlovy Vary ha sido como un abrazo después de exorcizar mis demonios"". El Periódico de España.
  10. ""La piedad", oscuro cuento familiar con tintes norcoreanos, asombra en BIFAN". swissinfo.ch. 13 July 2022.
  11. Zilko, Christian (16 August 2022). "Fantastic Fest Headlined by 'Bones and All,' 'Triangle of Sadness,' and a Park Chan-wook Tribute". IndieWire. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  12. Silvestre, Juan (14 September 2022). "'La piedad': cartel, en exclusiva, de la película de Eduardo Casanova". Fotogramas.
  13. Sánchez Sequera, Marcos (11 January 2023). "'La piedad' – estreno en cines 13 de enero". Audiovisual451.
  14. Méndez Chico-Álvarez, Lucas (21 November 2022). "Eduardo Casanova: "Hay mucha pereza en la idea del artista que vive en crisis"". El Independiente.
  15. "La Pietà". RottenTomatoes. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  16. Hurtado, J. (22 July 2022). "Fantasia 2022 Review: LA PIETÀ, A Stunningly Vulgar Triumph In Puke Pink Pastels". Screen Anarchy.
  17. Tizard, Will (9 July 2022). "Iran-Set Teen Drama 'Summer With Hope' Wins Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary Film Festival". Variety.
  18. Calnan, Ellie (5 August 2022). "'The Roundup', 'The Artifice Girl' take top Fantasia audience awards". ScreenDaily.
  19. Taylor, Drew (27 September 2022). "Fantastic Fest Awards Winners: 'Piggy,' 'The Five Devils' and 'The Menu' Take Top Honors (Exclusive)". TheWrap.
  20. Gualda, Lucía (29 January 2023). "Premios Feroz, en directo: los premiados a mejor película, mejor serie y mejor actriz y actor protagonistas". Vanitatis – via El Confidencial.
  21. Vié, Caroline (29 January 2023). "Festival de Gérardmer : Grand vainqueur de cette 30e édition, « La Pietà » ouvre une nouvelle ère". 20minutes.fr.
  22. Martínez, Evaristo (14 December 2022). "'Controverso' opta a dos Carmen, que anuncian sus candidatos desde Almería". La Voz de Almería.
  23. "Modelo 77 triunfa en los Carmen: Así ha quedado el palmarés". Ideal. Grupo Vocento. 5 February 2023.
  24. "Estos son los ganadores de los Premios Goya 2023: lista completa". El Periódico de Catalunya. 12 February 2023.
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