What makes A Tale of Two Sisters such an effective film is the many different levels it works on. It has WTF? and OMG! moments, it makes you think (and it plays fair, plotwise, once you mull it over a bit) AND it reaches the viewer on an emotional level. It is also a beautiful movie--the cinematography and set design are very well done, and the use of color and music to set the different moods is masterful. For example, a waltz can be romantic and playful. Or it can be melancholy and sad. The colors green and yellow can be bright and springtime. Or they can be diseased and rot. Director Ji-woon Kim uses such dichotomies to extreme effect.
Ok, so what is AToTS about? Well, it depends on whether you are interested in the plot or the story. The plot of a movie is what happens, moves the action along. Films driven solely by plot may be fun to watch once or twice but don’t bring much else once you know what happens, where the “scare scenes” are, and once you have made your way through the aha! moments. The *story* is the characters and other components that make you care. Ji-woon Kim peels back layer after layer of the story and really makes you care about the characters, especially the two sisters.
The first time I watched AToTS, there were a couple of scenes that were so creepy that I was curled up on the edge of the couch chewing on my knuckles. There are moments of pure spine-tingling terror (so it works as a K-horror), but it is not as “scary” as, say, Ju-On or Ringu. The overall horror of the movie doesn’t derive so much from what you see on the screen, but what you come to realize as certain revelations become known. The horror lies more in the “why” than the “what.”
The second time I watched it I was caught up in the "mystery" and figuring out the nuances of the plot. Subsequent viewings really hit me as to the tragic tragic tale of what happened to this family.
The story centers around Su-mi (the older sister, about 15 years old) and her younger sister Su-yeon, who is about 12. They do not get along with their new stepmother at all, who especially seems to have it in for Su-yeon. Oh, sure, stepmom comes across sweetly enough but it is evident to the girls (and to the viewer) that she resents the girls. Director Kim allows the plot to unfold in the present, in flashbacks, in discovered photographs, and in dream snippets. As the pieces are put together we learn more and more about the characters and the history of the house. A typical gothic approach, but handled very well here. Many questions unfold. What happened to the mother? Why does the stepmother resent the girls so much? Why is the father so passive in the midst of all this? Just what exactly is in the wardrobe, and what the hell is that in the bloody sack?
In any horror movie you have screaming--usually a teenage girl (or 2 or 3). In typical horror movies, the screams signify a scare or some horrible spectacle on the screen. In AToTS, there is a scene with one girl screaming that will wrench your heart out. And then later, when another character screams, it is eminently satisfying in the typical horror movie moment. (Don’t let my talk of “psychological mystery” mislead you—there is definitely something in the house.)
Earlier, I called A Tale of Two Sisters a tragic story. The last few minutes of the film, switching between present and flashback, is like a punch in the gut. That slow waltz music kicks in, understanding dawns, and we see how a short passing moment and a few words spoken in haste will affect this family forever. And it will stick with me for the rest of my life.
I can't recommend this movie enough.
The Great Movie Tournament - 2000s: Round 1 - Group 15 of 32
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Originally Posted by amd013
