A Tale of Two Sisters DVD Review

Young sisters, Su-Mi (Im Soo-jung) and Su-Yeon (Moon Geun-young), arrive at the house of their their father (Kim Kab-su) and his new wife Eun-joo (Yeom Jeong-a), after being released from a mental hospital where they were sent to convalesce after the traumatic death of their mother.

Su-Mi is very protective of her younger sister and is convinced that their step mother is abusing Su-Yeon, but her father seems unable to comprehend the situation. Spectral figures haunt the sprawling country home and the tension between the members of the fragmented family reach boiling point when Eun-joo drags Su-Yeon screaming and locks her in a closet. It becomes clear that all is not what it seems when her father tells Su-Mi the awful truth.

A Tale of Two Sisters is a visually stunning work, beautifully filmed and accompanied by a hauntingly evocative soundtrack. The house looks strangely out of place for its setting in rural Korea, dimly lit and decorated with lush William Morris style wallpaper that almost seems to have a life of its own. The difficult roles of the two young girls are carried off exceptionally well, especially by Im Soo-jung, who's beautifully expressive face conveys the emotional anguish of her character. There are some genuinely unnerving moments in the story, but they real horror is created by the brooding, melancholic atmosphere crafted by Kim Jee-woon. There are twists throughout the film, but when the truth is finally disclosed, the viewer is still left with the task of putting all of the pieces of the puzzle in place. This is one of those rare films when the second and subsequent viewing's are as satisfying as the first. S.J.T.

A Tale of Two Sisters, 2003

Directed by Kim Ji-Woon.