A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

A Tale of Two Sisters (AKA Janghwa, Hongryeon)
Written and directed by: Ji-Woon Kim
Featuring: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Su-jeong Lim, Geun-yeong Mun
115 minutes, 2003
Tartan Video

Review by: Superheidi

A Tale of Two Sisters sells itself as a creepy psychological thriller that is based on a Korean folktale of the same name. The cover of the DVD shows two girls drenched in blood, while their creepy parents hold them firmly in place by the shoulders. It promises to be a dark fairy tale with some very disturbing imagery. Unfortunately, the cover is more intense and dramatic than the actual film. As far as Asian horror goes, Korean horror seems to follow the footsteps of mainstream Japanese horror; it doesn't explain the intricacies of the storyline very well, and it focuses on severely brutal imagery in order to scare.

A Tale of Two Sisters is no different. Though massively entertaining and definitely unpredictable, the film can be very slow in some places and sometimes leaves a bit too much to mystery, when particularly American audiences might want to know the entire truth behind the brutality.

Su-mi and her younger sister Su-yeon come home from a long stay at the local mental institution. Why they were there n the first place is a mystery until the end, but upon their arrival home it becomes painfully obvious that their father is a cold and distracted parent, while their pretty stepmother can be a screeching bitch at a moments notice. Su-mi particularly hates her stepmother, and Su-yeon is terrorized by her on a daily basis. The stepmother even goes so far as to lock Su-yeon in the wardrobe when she misbehaves, ignoring Su-yeon's cries for forgiveness and for help. Their father, however, seems to ignore the abuse and there is no comfort for the two girls except in each other. Once these relationships are established, the story begins its very strange and long trek through twists, turns, and some very eerie and blood-soaked scenes. When the violence really begins, it's clear that someone, maybe even Su-mi herself, is mentally ill and on the verge of acting out some very dangerous fantasies. Perhaps though, the true villains are the careless father and torturous stepmother, and the girls are at their mercy. Or perhaps, again, not. I really can't expand on that or else the movie will be completely ruined for you.

Not that some elements of the film in and of itself won't ruin the story for you to begin with. In order to watch A Tale of Two Sisters with any real zeal, it's important to understand how Asian horror differs from American and European horror. The storylines are always vague, and the imagery is always strangely inappropriate, though massively frightening. The characters are very intense and their relationships are complex. A Tale of Two Sisters uses the great lighting, color, and stylized images that are a staple of Asian art and culture, and lately, of their horror films as well. Though this is not really a ghost story, no Asian horror film would be complete without creepy ghosts with long hair and strangely elongated lings/necks/or some strange noises echoing from their throats. A Tale of Two Sisters is no exception.

Believing in the idea that this is based on a fairy tale gives the story an added merit; it's a damn creepy way to tell a nursery rhyme. Just like in western culture, we have the Evil Stepmother, the uncaring or absent Father, and the two children left to fend for themselves in a scary world filled with magic, intrigue, ghosts, and the supernatural. Oh, and there's a creepy old mansion to boot. A cross between something like Bluebeard and Hansel and Gretel, A Tale of Two Sisters is a very fun and very intense, though not particularly scary, film that plays upon the disturbing elements of fairy tales to grab our attention.