Kind-hearted Geum-ja; titled Sympathy for Lady Vengeance in Australia and Russia) is a 2005 South Korean neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook.

Convicted of kidnapping and murdering a 5-year-old schoolboy, Won-mo, 13 years earlier, Geum-ja became a national sensation because of her young age, angelic appearance, and eager confession to the crime.

However, she became an inspirational model for prisoner reform during her incarceration, and her apparent spiritual transformation earned her an early release.

Geum-ja quickly shows that her "kind-hearted" behavior in prison was a cover to earn favor and further her revenge plans.

The detective on her case was aware of her innocence, but helped her fake crime-scene details to ensure her confession looked credible.

Jenny, now an adolescent, does not speak Korean and does not initially embrace her mother, though she does return with Geum-ja to Seoul to bond.

Geum-ja plans to kidnap and murder Mr. Baek, now a children's teacher at a preschool, with the aid of his wife, another ex-convict.

Having finally achieved her revenge she buries her face in an all white frosting covered cake and weeps as Jenny hugs her.

The film's score, composed by Choi Seung-hyun, is heavily baroque-themed, featuring many pieces with harpsichord, baroque guitars, and other instruments.

The song is appropriate since the unedited version's melody is sung by a woman who is seeking revenge on a man who has betrayed her, much like the film itself.

The final scene is accompanied by an arrangement by Jordi Savall of the Spanish song Mareta, a lullaby in the Valencian language by an anonymous 17th century composer from Alicante.

[6] The film opened in limited release in two North American theatres on 28 April 2006 under the title Lady Vengeance.

The critical consensus states: "Stylistically flashy and gruesomely violent, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance fits in nicely with the other two films of Park's revenge trilogy.