A brave central performance from Hye-rim Moon goes a small way towards redeeming the broad feeling of frustration left by Su-won Shin’s Madonna.

With shades of Almodóvar’s Talk to Her, an interesting premise is handled well initially but ends with the subtlety of a sledgehammer as it grimly plods towards what should have been a dark and gripping denouement – what we are left with is bleak and disappointing in equal measure.

Despite its chilling and crisp visuals and strong performances across the board, Madonna eventually collapses under the weight of its repetitive and gratuitous rape scenes and unrelenting grimness.

Worth a watch for those comfortable with uncomfortable viewing, Madonna is most valuable when seen as a deep and soul-baring study of a hapless and innocent character.

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Hye-rim Moon, Seo Young-Hee, Kim Young-Min

DIRECTOR: Shin Su-won

WRITER: Shin Su-won

SYNOPSIS: The story of a nurse attempting to reconstruct the past of a young woman set to donate her heart to a CEO.

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