A Tale of Two Sisters Review
Written by: ChaosMagician
What more can be said for A Tale of Two Sisters other than pure poetry? Brilliantly executed, A Tale of Two Sisters has an astounding replay value, mainly because you probably won't understand the plot fully on your first encounter with it.
Directed by Ji-woon Kim, a Korean director who also wrote and directed The Quiet Family, A Tale of Two Sisters is both beautiful and horrifying.
The movie opens with two young girls, Bae Su-Mi and her sister Bae Su-Yeon returning home after a stay at a mental institution. Their stepmother, Eun-joo, greets them lovingly, telling them that dinner will be ready soon and to get cleaned up. Needless to say, the tension between Su-Mi and Eun-joo is almost suffocating. They apparently don't enjoy each others company.
Massive arguments between Su-Mi and Eun-joo ensue, leaving Su-Yeon in the middle. After a dinner-agument, Su-Mi and Su-Yeon retire to their room for the night, where Su-Mi has a terrifying nightmare.
After going through their mother's things, Su-Mi discovers marks on her sisters arms. Apparently Eun-joo has been abusing her. Su-Mi confronts her and Eun-joo admits to delivering the punishment. The father confronts Su-Mi about the reason for the constand arguing, but Su-Mi refuses to tell him what Eun-joo is doing to the girls.
Because I don't want to ruin the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, I digress from the plot.
The only drawback to this movie is the fact that the first fourty minutes or so tend to drag a bit, and the last fourty minutes tend to whirl past, making it hard to fully understand the movie. While supernatural events seem to be occuring within the house, that shouldn't be your main focus when watching the movie. If you concentrate on the core plot, you should be able to get the full story on your first viewing; however, it took me two times watching to get everything in order.
This is not a typical horror movie. It is filled with bright colors, decorative sets and beautiful scenery. Because the plot itself is so dark and foreboding, the brightness of the overall sets conflict nicely, making the viewer slightly uncomfortable.
If you enjoy being confused and very disturbed at the end of a movie, A Tale of Two Sisters is perfect for you. If you don't like following plot very much, rent it, test it out and if you don't enjoy it, just take it back. I own this movie and watch it quite often.
Stunningly unique and wonderfully put together, A Tale of Two Sisters is a must-see for fans of the Asian-horror genre.