For anyone who doesn't already know, A Tale of Two Sisters is a korean horror movie. It's hard to describe the plot without giving anything away, so all I will say is that it is very good and touches on more things than you might realize the first time watching the movie. What makes it so good isn't only the story though, it's how everything ties together so well. The setting, the cinematography, the beautiful soundtrack, the story and acting. Everything works together to create a perfect movie.
I really hope people who read this and might be put off by the fact that it's a horror movie, or even an asian horror movie, will give it a chance anyway. It's not the stereotypical bad horror movie with "shock scares" everywhere. The only scare in this movie is the weird and creepy atmosphere present in almost every scene. Other than that, it's more of a psychological drama than a horror movie. It also hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I believe that to be because reviewers haven't taken enough time to really understand the movie because they are too used to the general mainstream movies explaining everything like you are 5 years old. This movie leaves a lot to be figured out by the viewer, which isn't what most people want. Most people just want an easy to digest movie that leaves every question answered by then end of it, so they can move on to the next movie tailored to be as perfect as possible for the mainstream audience in order to become as popular as possible.
After watching it two times, I can't stop thinking of how good it was. The story, the scenery, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the acting, everything. I really really encourage anyone who hasn't seen it, or someone who has seen it but didn't fully understand the story, to watch it. It's such a beautiful movie and it deserves more attention. It's without a doubt the best horror movie I've ever seen, and it's also one of my favorite movies of all time regardless of genre.
It also hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I believe that to be because reviewers haven't taken enough time to really understand the movie because they are too used to the general mainstream movies explaining
Wikipedia disagrees?
A Tale of Two Sisters opened to very positive critical review and won Best Picture at the 2004 Fantasporto Film Festival.
It also hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I believe that to be because reviewers haven't taken enough time to really understand the movie because they are too used to the general mainstream movies explaining
A Tale of Two Sisters opened to very positive critical review and won Best Picture at the 2004 Fantasporto Film Festival.
Didn't read that. I only saw that it had an average of 65 on Metacritic, which isn't a lot, and a score of 7,4 on IMDB which isn't bad but not good either.
I've seen that movie once. It was hauting, in a not cheap way, not in a "The Ring" or the "The Grudge" way, but more psychological as you say. I still remember a lot of it even though it's been some time. Great movie.
There's something about (good) Korean movies that you can watch them over and over and still find very beautiful metaphors, depth and finesse in them. Same goes for Oldboy which I've seen several times, Lady Vengeance equally or Memories of Murder. There's so much in them, it's hard to catch it all at first viewing.
edit: It has 86% on Rottentomatoes which is remarkable given that it's not the most asia-benign rating community.
I was thinking of writing something like this for another Korean movie, but never came around to it. I watched a bit of this movie but quit at a certain scene that was just too scary for me.
I saw this a long time ago and really liked it, although I am very biased towards this type of horror. I can't stand films that just try to shock you by making things jump out from a dark screen. Also I couldn't remember the name of this at all so thanks for the post.
On March 01 2012 10:15 Chairman Ray wrote: Wow that song is quite chilling by itself. I'm downloading the movie now, will tell you what I think of it after I finish it (hopefully tonight)
Awesome, I hope you like it!
On March 01 2012 11:13 Nytefish wrote: I saw this a long time ago and really liked it, although I am very biased towards this type of horror. I can't stand films that just try to shock you by making things jump out from a dark screen. Also I couldn't remember the name of this at all so thanks for the post.
I completely agree. This movie really gets what horror movies are all about, or rather should be all about. Any director can scare an audience by making scary stuff jump at it synchronized with a loud noise. Very few directors can however make you feel uneasy during the most normal everyday moments and have you really scared during slow scenes where almost nothing even happens.
Hot damn that was a good movie. I didn't find it scary or anything, but the atmosphere was intense. The plotline itself was quite something. My second favorite horror movie next to Noroi. Ty for recommendation!
I was so surprised watching this film. At the end, I didn't feel at all like I just watch a horror movie. It certainly was not was I was expecting (expecting something like the ring) but I really liked it. Watched it in theaters; atmosphere was so intense.
I just want to throw out, the movie is much better in korean than subbed. If you have that option. I regret watching it subbed.
On March 01 2012 15:31 Chairman Ray wrote: Hot damn that was a good movie. I didn't find it scary or anything, but the atmosphere was intense. The plotline itself was quite something. My second favorite horror movie next to Noroi. Ty for recommendation!
Glad you liked it! I'm going to watch Noroi tonight since both you and ruXxar liked it. + Show Spoiler +
If you have time, watching it a second time when you already know the stepmother and sister aren't actually there is quite interesting because you find out more about how insane Soo-Mi actually is. At first viewing she seems normal until the very end, but during the second viewing it's really interesting to see how disturbed she actually is and how the situations she plays out in her mind relate to her past.
EPT
