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As in the film Samaritan Girl, Pieta illustrates women as the agent of salvation. Kim Ki-duk does not believe that humans can be saved by a religion. In the film, Gang-do ends up in a buddhist temple wandering around to find his mom, and encounters a monk on a wheelchair. However, the 'crippled Buddhism' fails to see the world beyond its stone wall. Was the director then aiming for a Christian salvation as many critics have mentioned? He certainly was not. Capitalism has made Gang-do a cold-hearted devil who is severely deprived of love since he has never been loved. He starts to recover a human side after he experiences a maternal love. Gang-do is a person who wishes he could go back to his mother's womb. He attempts to go inside his mother's womb to confirm if she is his real mother. After the mother kills herself, Gang-do digs her grave and lies down crouching like a fetus next to her and her real son. His desire to go back to the womb is an expression of his desire to be born again. This is in line with what Jacques Lacan said about how all human desire comes down to the desire to be saved by going back to the mother's womb. Another character in the film that reconfirms the message that salvation can only come from women is the truck-driving lady. She is willing to sell her body, in other words, her womb, to stop the loan sharks from crippling her husband. She does not abandon her husband even after he is crippled and takes to the road driving her truck to feed her family. It is an illustration of a woman as an agent of salvation. That is why Gang-do crawls under the lady's truck after losing his mother; He wants to cleanse his sin by doing so. However, such attempt fails. The failure was hinted in an earlier scene in which Gang-do tries to rape his mother in an attempt to go back to her womb but fails. Most sinners in Kim Ki-duk films seek for atonement in the poorest, most brutal way. However, atonement itself cannot bring self-salvation. Gang-do ties himself to the bottom of the truck of the lady whose life he mercilessly ruined, so he can pay for his sin and earn salvation. This may be his attempt to offer the lady an opportunity of revenge and to cleanse his sin. Through such act of atonement, he wishes to be saved and born again. However, the truck continues on its journey only leaving a trail of blood. Salvation is a gift that only those who are forgiven can enjoy. One can only be saved by god if he is forgiven by the victim of his wrongdoing. Gang-do can not be forgiven by the lady by tying himself under the truck. Nor is that the salvation by god. Imagine how the lady would feel when she gets off the truck and finds out the bloody death of Gang-do. She would be horrified once again by the cruel choice of Gang-do to pay for his sin. The director chose such dreadful ending to highlight the message that capitalism ultimately is a merciless ride leaving a trail of blood, and that humans cannot be saved by any act.