In many movies of this type—those psycho, sexual thrillers—female characters often exist solely to be damsels in distress, appear nude, or meet a violent end. This movie initially suggests it’s heading down that familiar path: a man plotting to kill a prostitute. However, the film avoids those predictable tropes. Mia Wasikowska's character distinguishes herself by refusing to conform; she isn't helpless, nor is she exploited or killed—instead, she holds all the power and manipulates the psychological games being played. From writer and director Nicholas Pesce, based on Ryû Murakami’s 1994 novel (the same inspiration for Takashi Miike’s _Ôdishon_), _Piercing_ is a darkly comedic psychosexual thriller. The film presents itself partly as a screwball comedy about a meticulous man's attempt to murder a prostitute, and then shifts into something else entirely when he realizes that she is far more disturbed than he is. It challenges the audience to figure out who’s in control and whether either character would willingly be the other’s victim. The film deliberately mimics a sleazy seventies skin flick—the kind you might expect to see on _The Deuce_—and its nostalgic feel permeates everything, from the music borrowed from giallo films to the art-deco production design and the obviously fake city skyline. Pesce is undeniably a stylist, but currently lacks substantial depth; like in _The Eyes of My Mother_, he struggles to match his visual flair with genuine emotional impact. The leads aren’t naturally sympathetic characters, yet one would expect to feel *something*—anything at all. However, due to the lack of psychological realism and interiority, they remain essentially blank canvases, which is why the film feels more like a sketch than a finished work. Set in an unspecified city, the plot centers on Reed (Christopher Abbott), a seemingly ordinary man harboring dark thoughts. He’s attempting to resist the urge to kill his newborn baby when the movie begins. Afterward, he explains, via voice-over, his plan to trap and murder a prostitute, believing it will purge him of his desire to harm his child. Checking into a hotel with a planned-out scheme, Reed books a prostitute who is open to S&M so that he can tie her up without

Source on TMDB