A Tale of Two Sisters

By Thomas Tan
November 10, 2007

After a brief hiatus, the phenomenon of the Asian horror movie remake is about to come creeping back, long haired vengeful spirits and all. Slated for release in 2008 are remakes of Shutter (Thailand), The Eye (Hong Kong), One Missed Call (Japan), Sigaw (Philippines), and A Tale of Two Sisters (Korea). As such, I thought it best to revisit some of these films and savour their terrifying stories in their original contexts before the remakes are released. I hope that you do the same.

I wanted to take a look at one film in particular, A Tale of Two Sisters. Easily the best of the bunch, the film has been called "The most beautiful - if not the scariest - horror movie in ages" (TV Guide) and "Wonderfully creepy" (New York Magazine). I tend to agree with these assessments, and really hope that Hollywood does it justice.

A Tale of Two Sisters, based on the Korean folktale Jangwha, Hongryeon, is the story of what happens when Su-mi (Im Soo-jung) and her younger sister Su-yeon (Moon Geung-young) come home to their large and foreboding house after a forced stay in the hospital for some undisclosed illness. There, they are greeted by their stepmother Eun-joo (Yeom Jeong-A). Eun-Joo initially greets them with a forced kindness, but the girls' indifference and clear resentment towards her leads her to become more and more shrill, spiteful, abusive, and unbalanced as the film goes on. They also have to deal with their father (Kim Kab-su) being both indifferent and aloof, nary batting an eyelash when Eun-joo verbally abuses his daughters.

As their days in the dark mansion play out, Su-mi and Su-yeon display a close bond that only sisters who truly love each other can have, which definitely contrasts against the hateful relationship they have against their stepmother. They play by the dock, comfort each other when scared, and teach each other how to deal with life. This strong bond pits them more and more against Eun-joo, culminating in several painful scenes where Eun-joo's implied abuse comes out into the open. She locks up Su-yeon in a wardrobe she is desperately afraid of and dark bruises start to appear on Su-yeon's body. A memorable scene occurs afterward which I don't want to spoil, but all I'll say is that it includes Su-mi, a bloody sack, and a heavy statue. In the end, Su-mi must do everything in her power to protect her sister from her step-mother, as her father just stands and watches.

Suffice it to say, all is not well in the mansion - and that's not even counting the dark-garbed spirit with blood running down her legs that visits Su-mi late at night under the kitchen counter...

Overall, A Tale of Two Sisters was really painful to watch.

In a good way, of course.

The first half of the movie plays out like a devastating domestic drama (with glimpses of the supernatural), torturing viewers with images of purity and love combating resentfulness and hate. It has a lot to say about family, the need to belong, the desire to be safe, and the deep-rooted yearning to do what is right, as the sisters try to be happy as much as the mother tries to be accepted.

But as love gives way to anger and hate in the second half, so does sanity... and the film takes a dark and twisted turn into the depths of the human mind, unleashing equal dollops of psychosis and supernatural vengeance.

There is much pain to be found in this movie, and it is pain that we can all relate to as human beings. In Su-mi, we find the pain that lies in not being able to protect your loved one. In Su-yeon, we find the pain of terrible things happening to oneself and not understanding why. In Eun-joo, there is the pain of being an outsider, trying to be accepted... and failing. And in the father, there is the pain of being powerless to do anything about it.

Stephen King states in his book Danse Macabre that there are three levels of fear: the lowest, Revulsion, is where the gross-out lies. The second, Horror, is where the fear of death or physical defect resides. Many horror films lie between these two levels, striving to scare us with the fear of death or gross us out with as much gore and screwed-out eyeballs as the filmmakers could throw at the viewers.

But there is a third level, the purest, finest emotion called Terror. Terror, as Hunter S. Thompson says, "arises from a pervasive fear of disestablishment; a fear that things are in the unmaking." Rather than relying on revulsion or primal fears, Terror strikes at your heart and your mind. Terror shows viewers situations in the unmaking, taking themes so universal that they can cross gender and race, and strives to make it so personal that we have no choice but to apply that terror to our own lives.

Terror brings the horror home. It holds up a mirror to our lives and makes us face things that we dare not face in our daily life. The finest horror movies achieve this level, engaging us rather than just spoon-feeding us, and in making us use our brains they stab us in the heart and twist.

A Tale of Two Sisters is terror at its finest. Deep in the heart of this story is a secret so powerful, and so painful, that we can understand why one key character has lost his/her marbles rather than face it. But the resolution of the film implores us to do just that.

Face it.

Any film that has a fractured storyline and powerful emotions demands actors that are up to scratch. A Tale of Two Sisters has this and more. As Eun-joo, Yeom Jeong-A has the unenviable task of transforming from hateful stepmother to dutiful wife in the space of five seconds. She does this marvelously. Chewing the scenery with aplomb, Yeom Jeong-A is as mesmerizing as she is despicable, as attractive as she is deplorable, and as pitiful as she is strong. She was a fantastic choice.

As the titular "two sisters," much of the film's believability and power depended on the performances of young actresses Im Soo-jung and Moon Geun-young. Luckily, they hold up well. As the younger sister, Moon Geun-young displays a wide-eyed innocence and purity that begs to be protected and shielded from the evils of the world. You feel for her as you watch her, smiling as she basks in the sunlight by the docks and flinching when she is hurt.

As Su-yeon's protector, Im Soo-jung straddles that fine line between innocent child and precocious teen forced to grow up too fast in a way that most young actresses around the world should envy. She brings a quiet strength to the piece, balanced by a silent desperation. Each side of her grows more and more intense, culminating in a draining battle of emotion against her step-mother. And she takes us along for the entire ride.

Visually, this film is a sumptuous tour de force. Anybody who has enjoyed the lush imagery in Wong Kar-Wai's masterpiece In the Mood for Love will definitely love this. The camera glides over each facet of the finely designed mansion, contrasting the roiling emotions with an austere, non-judgemental gaze. Steady and slow, the camera doesn't manipulate us into feeling terror or feeling anger. It allows things to play themselves out for us, letting the terror build, not from camera tricks, but from the very idea of what is happening on screen.

The sets and costumes are similarly well done. The wallpaper in the film is definitely something to see. Lush reds and intricate designs plaster each wall of the poorly lit mansion, contrasting with the dark shadows that permeate every corner of the house. It's as if the bright décor is desperately trying to fight off the darkness, covering up the ugliness that lies within... and losing miserably.

The music, by Lee Beong-woo is a marvel to hear. Soft piano and guitar music go hand in hand with lush orchestrations, filling the movie with mournful melodies designed to heighten the feeling of despair and dread without the audience even knowing it. Definitely the best soundtrack to any horror movie I've ever heard.

This is perhaps the best horror film... excuse me... "terror" film that I have ever seen. And having seen horror films ranging from Evil Dead to Suspiria, this is quite a statement from me. But I stand by it.

You won't find any bloody guts, severed heads, or punctured eyeballs here. And you won't miss them. A Tale of Two Sisters is an elegiac treatise on the nature of memory - the lengths we go to suppress things too terrible to live with... and the terror that arises from having to face them.

Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Kim Ji-Woon
Producer: SirLaosson Dara
Screenplay: Kim Ji-Woon
Director of Photography: Lee Mo-Gae
Editor: Lee Hyeon-Mi
Music: Lee Byung-Woo