This is a suspenseful engrossing watch, though perhaps with a couple too many plot developments.

In some ways, "Ballad" feels engineered to put a maximum number of obstacles in Mina's path, but as executed, the movie doesn't feel the slightest bit didactic, despite its unusually stiff style.

The movie turns on a constant stream of grief and guilt, even as it develops into a subtle thriller steeped in a set of relationships bound to collapse at any moment.

A restrained death penalty drama, Ballad of a White Cow is necessarily harsh in its tone but finds a tangible, human element to anchor its messages.