A Tale of Two Sisters: Korean Film Review

Supernatural and Psychological Horror Abides in this Asian Hit

Jan 14, 2009

The 2003 film - a.k.a Janghwa, Hongryeon - that helped establish South Korea's film industry as a horror heavy-weight. Directed by Kim Jee-woon.

The film follows the return to society of sisters Su-mi and Su-yeon (Lim Su-jeong and Mun Geun-yeong) after a spell in a mental institution. Arriving home in the countryside the sisters are devoid of any warmth toward their father, Bae Moo-hyeon (Kim Kap-su), and are slightly less than outright hostile to their stepmother, Eun-joo (Yum Jung-ah).

At the heart of this uncomfortable arrangement is the mysterious demise of the girls’ mother and an increasing level of seemingly supernatural horrors throughout the old house, co-inciding with the sisters’ return.

A Champion for the K-Horror Genre

Penetrating beyond the surface of the story would mean a medley of spoiler alerts, so let’s focus on other things.

K-Horror, of course, is the not so imaginative equivalent of J-Horror (Korean and Japanese respectively). For fans of the Japanese horror scene, certain elements of the film may feel familiar, especially with the infrequent appearance of an Onryo – in Japan, the manifestation of a vengeful spirit, usually female, that was, of course, so iconically captured in Hideo Nakata’s Ring, followed by the likes of The Grudge, Dark Water, and others.

A similar methodology in building and exploiting tension is likewise evident, using long, single shots and subdued silences (which are by no means unique to Japanese horror - it's just the best way to go about telling a horror story of substance.)

In fact, it could be said that there’s very little in Two Sisters that feels original or, initially, even exceptional in it’s concepts. The exception, however, is in the final result, which seamlessly manages to blend high drama and supernatural terror thanks to certain informative omissions.

A Tale of Two Sisters: Director Kim Jee-woon, Cinematography and Music

Adding to that final result is the quality of film-making on display. Korean films – of any genre – seem to be blessed with a host of great cinematographers, and Two Sisters is no different. The film is beautifully laid out to it’s audience and the environment used to it’s utmost.

Director Kim Jee-woon is steadily building quite a reputation for himself as a leading film-maker (with his latest release being the highly acclaimed The Good, the Bad, the Weird) and additional plaudits go to Lee Mo-gae for the film’s cinematography and also to Lee Byung-woo for a well-fitted music score.

A Tale of Two Sisters: Cast

With four main roles (three considering a subdued father-figure) and a limited supporting cast, Two Sisters was always going to ask a great deal of the main cast, particularly the two girls.

In brief, Lim Su-jeong and Mun Geun-yeong are utterly convincing as individuals and family, especially Lim Su-jeong as Su-mi, who, if there is a main character to the story, shoulders the heavy emotional burden with Oscar-worthy depth.

Yum Jung-ah as the stepmother is also exceptional, bringing a terrific menace and coldness to the role in spite of her very slender physical stature.

It wouldn’t go amiss at this point to say that Korean horror films are bringing a standard of acting performance that, with just a slightly greater canon of material behind it, will not only rival that of Japan, but exceed it in this opinion.

A Tale of Two Sisters: Summary

While acknowledging the great cinematography, direction, and the fact that the cast are roundly excellent, there may be some nagging doubts in the midst of a first viewing as to whether or not the dialogue needs to be so minimalist or if certain peoples understated reactions, despite serving to create mounting tension, is quite so intentional.

As it happens, it's all very intentional and the reticent dialogue serves the purpose of side-stepping vital information. As is often the case with the better films found in Korean and Japanese cinema, the audience is not pandered to, and left to think things through for themselves, creating a highly subjective film. In fact, not only is very little explained, but much of it deliberately obfuscated to the point where any conventional formula simply cannot be applied to this film.

Suffice to say, there’s a twist in the tail. In fact, there are several, which is why this reviewer would suggest reserving any real judgement or momentary criticisms of proceedings until the very end. Repeated viewings will yield additional insight, but there are unexplained aspects which some viewers might mistake for poor conceptualization, while others will recognize those aspects as crucial to the fact that this is a highly effective and haunting horror film that will stay with those who watch it.

The copyright of the article A Tale of Two Sisters: Korean Film Review in Horror Films is owned by Michael Pantazi. Permission to republish A Tale of Two Sisters: Korean Film Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.