Buy tickets for Fall 2: Deadpoint!

Piercing

Find Movie Theaters & Showtimes

for
near
in

We didn't find this title in your area

Browse Local Theaters

Videos & Photos

  • Trailer 1
  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Nicolas Pesce

Producer:

Naima Abed, Max Born, Antonio Campos

Writer:

Ryû Murakami, Nicolas Pesce

Release Date:

Feb 1, 2019

Runtime:

1hr 21m

Synopsis

Christopher Abbot plays Reed, who has an insatiable desire: He wants to kill. So Reed fakes a business trip and checks into a hotel, where he plans to murder a prostitute. Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) arrives, and Reed finds that his seemingly well-laid plan might not work out as he assumed it would.

This deliriously twisted tale of violence, sex, and domination constantly doubles back on itself, revealing new and shocking aspects of each character as it gives Abbot and Wasikowska the most daring material of their careers.

Cast

  • Christopher Abbott
  • Mia Wasikowska
  • Laia Costa
  • Olivia Bond
  • Maria Dizzia
  • Marin Ireland
  • Dakota Lustick
  • Wendell Pierce

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.1
27.7K
9.3K
5.2K
RATINGS 69 FANS
3.1
  • Nov 24, 2018

    I knew nothing about this film besides it being Nicolas Pesce's follow-up to his cool debut The Eyes of my Mother. Turns out to be a love letter to Giallo films complete with music tracks from Deep Red, Tenebre and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. (those were the three I…

    480 Likes
    Sean Baker
    Sean Baker
    Feb 2, 2019

    *Close-up of Mia Wasikowska piercing her nipple* Me, whispering: That’s the Piercing.

    375 Likes
    Charlie Nash
    Charlie Nash
    Nov 7, 2020

    this is what happens when men are obsessed with american psycho! they get tortured by mia wasikowska!!

    320 Likes
    Laura
    Laura
  •
    May 11, 2020

    they’re just so perfect for each other how cute aw i love a good rom com <3

    303 Likes
    ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗
    ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗
    Nov 26, 2019

    i feel like there's a void at the center of this movie that a far more interesting and perverse version would have filled with a genuine emotional or even romantic connection to the titular fetish but instead its treated with vague psychological gestures and ironic/comedic…

    267 Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Nov 9, 2018

    AFI 2018: film #4 “what’s the nastiest thing you’ve ever done?” a good time, but didn’t do enough to satisfy me. my hope was this would go in a more gory direction, but it takes a different route instead. not bad, just different

    174 Likes
    Lucy
    Lucy
  •
    Dec 17, 2020

    Watching Piercing next to American Psycho is like comparing a scalpel to a plastic butter knife.

    152 Likes
    CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️
    CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️
    Nov 1, 2020

    god this movie is so hot lol

    134 Likes
    Brianna
    Brianna
    Jan 18, 2019

    .... whatever you’re into i guess

    125 Likes
    ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗
    ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

65%
Community 265
❤️ LOVE
19%
👍 LIKE
46%
😐 MEH
17%
👎 DISLIKE
17%
Top Reviews
  • Lee
    Lee liked
    Piercing

    Fun! Somewhat of a giallo vibe in music and set, but more akin to a Sanctuary and Tokyo Decadence in plot. Chris Abbott continues to deliver in quirky pervert roles, but this one lacked the same sexual charge of Sanctuary. Not a big fan of the ending here.

    2Y
    Bella Kamiya
    Bella Kamiya is "meh" on
    Piercing

    I don’t know how I feel about this movie… I really liked the retro vibe but the rest was just weird and confusing. I always think that people who make movies like this are sadistic and must be a little psychotic.

    3Y
    avery
    avery is "meh" on
    Piercing

    it seemed to just want to be the house that jack built sooo bad

    3Y
  • Mythstranger
    Mythstranger disliked
    Piercing

    Thanks for wasting 82 minutes of my life.

    1Y
    Mariam
    Mariam liked
    Piercing

    Sadistic

    3Y
    Larkinik
    Larkinik disliked
    Piercing

    2/10

    2Y
  • Dylan Cornwell
    Dylan Cornwell disliked
    Piercing

    1

    4Y
View More Popular Piercing Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

63
metacritic
Based on 23 Critics
6.1

USER SCORE (16)

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Reviews
67
Jan 29, 2019

Clocking in at a lean and very mean 81 minutes, writer-director Nicolas Pesce’s follow-up to his grim 2016 black-and-white arthouse chiller The Eyes of My Mother is a sick-joke psychological cat-and-mouse game with just enough twists to keep you on your toes.

View full review
Metacritic review by Chris Nashawaty
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Piercing (2019) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Piercing (2019)?
The movie is 1hr 21min long.
What's Piercing (2019) about?
Christopher Abbot plays Reed, who has an insatiable desire: He wants to kill. So Reed fakes a business trip and checks into a hotel, where he plans to murder a prostitute. Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) arrives, and Reed finds that his seemingly well-laid plan might not work out as he assumed it would. This deliriously twisted tale of violence, sex, and domination constantly doubles back on itself, revealing new and shocking aspects of each character as it gives Abbot and Wasikowska the most daring material of their careers.
Who's the cast of Piercing (2019)?
  • Christopher Abbott as Reed
  • Mia Wasikowska as Jackie
  • Laia Costa as Mona
  • Olivia Bond as Bunny Girl
  • Maria Dizzia as Reed's Mother
  • Marin Ireland as Chevonne
  • Dakota Lustick as Young Reed
  • Wendell Pierce as Doctor
Who's the director behind Piercing (2019)?
Nicolas Pesce directed Piercing (2019).
Who produced Piercing (2019)?
Naima Abed, Max Born and Antonio Campos produced Piercing (2019).