Meaning of word "pillory"

Greatly complicating matters is a subplot about the firefighter’s soldier brother, whose death at the hands of another trooper is covered up, turning the brother into a malevolent spirit. But all is forgiven in a riot of tearful Hallmark sentimentality that Mr. Kim has the good sense to gently pillory. It all proves exasperating, and yet, yes, a sequel is teased at the end.

Ref: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/movies/along-with-the-gods-review.html

The above is quoted from an article of the New York Times. I googled up the word and found that the defition is "to attack and ridicule publicly". How I see it is that the writer is saying "the film is abused by too many tearful hallmark sentimentality which Mr. Kim is well known for".

Am I getting this right or missing something? Thank you!

Solution 1:

A pillory (n.) was a device of wood or metal into which an offender's hands, head, and sometimes feet, were fixed, where they could be pelted with insults — or rotting vegetables. As you can see, there was nothing gentle about it.

It's also helpful to know that Hallmark is a manufacturer of greeting cards. The reviewer suggests that Kim, director/screenwriter of the film, realized that the overly sentimental ending, described as "tearful" and evoking the cheap sentiment of Hallmark cards, could alienate the audience, so he "gently" pilloried it, i. e., undercut it with irony or some other device to indicate that he wasn't taking all the melodrama and tears very seriously. The "abuse" you're sensing is thus the director himself attempting to rescue his film from a serious lapse of taste.