Piercing (2018)

Director: Nicolas Pesce
Stars: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa
Runtime: 81 minutes

Synopsis: A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute.

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Costumes/Makeup: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10

Verdict: About a cat and mouse game between a psychopath brilliantly portrayed by Christopher Abbott and his victim played by Mia Wasikowska who gives the best performance of her career, "Piercing" was an extremely pleasant surprise that never ceased to entertain me.

Following a rough debut with the mediocre "The Eyes of My Mother", Nicolas Pesce certainly upped his game in this horror/thriller based on a novel by Ryu Murakami. What truly set this film apart from your typical serial killer flick was the surprisingly comedic tone that worked like a charm thanks to the two delightful performances by Abbott and Wasikowska. The film's direction also played a big part in the movie's entertainment factor by introducing sound effects that worked in the context they were used in, or by splitting the screen in two in order to show the parallels between the two main characters.

There is no denying that Pesce's career is going the right path after this success despite it still having a few issues such as a soundtrack that felt off at times, some inconsistencies in the screenplay that led to some bizarre character decisions, or a few hallucinatory scenes towards the end that didn't entirely work for me.

"Piercing" is still overall a lot of fun and adds a fresh twist to the generic serial killer genre. I can't wait to see what Pesce's next project will be.

FINAL GRADE: 6.5/10