Oldboy -2003 Film- Official

Philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written on disgust and shame as moral emotions. Oldboy dramatizes revenge not as justice but as a transfer of disgust. Woo-jin does not kill Dae-su; he forces Dae-su to become the source of his own disgust. This is a purer form of vengeance—it makes the victim complicit in his own moral ruin.

The Labyrinth of Revenge: Narrative, Ethics, and Visceral Style in Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (2003) Oldboy -2003 Film-

The film offers no moral lesson except this: revenge is a closed loop. The only difference between hero and villain is whose family died first. As Woo-jin says before shooting himself, “Now you know the pain I felt. But do you know why I have to die? Because I still have you.” Victory in revenge is impossible; the best one can achieve is mutual annihilation. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written on disgust and