20 Years Later, This Horror Gem Is Still the Most Frightening Korean Movie Ever Made
Korean filmmakers know a thing or two when it comes to horror.
In 2003, the Korean psychological horror film A Tale of Two Sisters was released.
The genre-bending film by director Kim Jee-woon, one of the pillars of South Korea's breakthrough into international cinema, takes a Joseon-era legend and turns it into a suspenseful thriller with elements of a ghost story.
What Is A Tale of Two Sisters About?
Two sisters, Su-yeon and Su-mi, return home after a long stay in a psychiatric hospital. A mysterious traumatic event occurred in the girls' past, which is why they needed the help of specialists.
Their mother died and their father, Moo-hyeon, recovered too quickly from his grief and married Eun-joo, a domineering and suspicious woman with obvious mental disorders.
The sisters' life with their stepmother gradually turns into hell. She doesn't really hide her dislike for children, and by swallowing some pills, she switches from verbal threats to direct confrontation. All the while, Moo-hyeon takes the position of a passive observer and only occasionally communicates with his daughters.
Meanwhile, strange things are happening in the house. Su-mi starts seeing ghosts and hearing frightening noises. So Kim Jee-woon, after starting with a psychological drama about family trauma and lack of love, turns it into a story about ghosts terrorizing an already unhealthy family.
You Can Watch A Tale of Two Sisters Several Times and Still Enjoy It
Throughout the movie Kim Jee-woon has placed clues that will help you to understand the intricacies of the plot. Here and there, hints and little details flash by, foreshadowing the final twist of A Tale of Two Sisters.
However, a viewer watching the movie for the first time is unlikely to pay attention to such details. Thanks to Kim Jee-woon's approach to storytelling, you can watch his movie several times and still enjoy it, discovering more and more new layers.
A Tale of Two Sisters Reveals the Ordinariness of Evil
A Tale of Two Sisters is about grief and remorse. And the frightening events that happen to the characters in the movie symbolize their attempts to come to terms with their inner suffering.
The director deliberately chose a slow pacing and a gradual build-up of tension, rather than using genre tools like jump scares or shocking bloody massacres, in order to immerse the viewer in a sticky atmosphere of madness.
And the absolute ordinariness of what happens in the house of Moo-hyeon and his daughters intensifies the contrast between the mystical and the mundane. And it is at the confluence of these two seemingly opposite spheres that the horror of A Tale of Two Sisters lies.