A Tale of Two Sisters

Name: A Tale of Two Sisters
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: December 10, 2004
Duration: 115 min
Rating: 65

2004

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 76 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 76 Ratings

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A Tale Of Two Sisters

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Movie Details & Credits

Tartan Films | Release Date: December 10, 2004 | R

Summary: Based on a famous Korean folktale, this grim fairy tale is one of the most heart-breaking and unexpected movies about loss, guilt and grief ever made. (Tartan Films)

Director: Ji-woon Kim

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 115 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Marc Savlov

An unexpected classic. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

A triumph of stylish, darkly absurdist horror that even manages to strike a chord of Shakespearean tragedy - and evokes a sense of wonder anew at all the terrible things people do to themselves and each other. Read full review

Eric Campos

No hack job. It has more impact than your Rings, Grudges, Eyes, Dark Waters…out there and it does it with a minimum of actual on-screen scares. Finally, a real filmmaker gives it like it should be given...and it hurts so good. Read full review

Renee Graham

A Tale of Two Sisters reminds that few things are as terrifying as our own imaginations. Read full review

Derek Elley

It manages to suspend disbelief without over-taxing the viewer's patience, and boasts at least one terrific performance, by actress Yeom Jeong-ah as a scary stepmom. Read full review

Michael Atkinson

Either way, Kim's rather clumsily acted film remains monstrously effective ookiness, with crepuscular cinematography (by the Hollywood-destined Kim Byeong-il) that suggests a nightmare endured from inside a suffocating velvet pillowcase. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Awkward storytelling and spotty exposition reduce it to a string of rude shocks--not even the eventual denouement provides a lucid enough account of where this is all coming from. Read full review

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User Reviews

Fahseel

Jun 1, 2012

I loved everything about this movie. It's one of those movies that will confuse you by the end but after you go back and watch it again things start to make sense. It seems to be marketed as a horror movie but I would say it's more of a drama with some horror elements. Touching story,I loved everything about this movie. It's one of those movies that will confuse you by the end but after you go back and watch it again things start to make sense. It seems to be marketed as a horror movie but I would say it's more of a drama with some horror elements. Touching story, great cinematography, as well as a great musical score. I can't recommend this movie enough.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

AnnikaUnknown

Sep 13, 2007

Great film, probably one of my favourites.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

SariT

Jan 4, 2008

Visually beautiful and haunting, and with a great story behind it all. Yes, during the film I was confused, and even frustrated...actually I was confused at the end as well, trying fervently to piece it all together. When I did (and after seeing it again...and again), it became one of my Visually beautiful and haunting, and with a great story behind it all. Yes, during the film I was confused, and even frustrated...actually I was confused at the end as well, trying fervently to piece it all together. When I did (and after seeing it again...and again), it became one of my favourite films. It's a crying shame that films like this are almost extinct nowadays, and we're given explosions and plasticine actors instead of a plot and a mystery. It's wonderful to see a film that trusts your capabilit yof understanding. An excellent film!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

ErikaM.

Mar 17, 2006

The first time I watched this movie, I liked it. The second time, I loved it and it remains one of my fav. movies. People expecting a conventional scary movie will be disappointed. But, if the viewer watches it with an open mind she will be greatly rewarded. Highly Recommended!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

GregePorter

Aug 31, 2015

Bottom line: A Tale of Two Sisters is wonderfully chilling and offers more than a creepy premise which makes it a powerful cinematic experience.

The movie opens to a sterile mental hospital examination room. A girl sits in a chair opposite a doctor. He asks several questions which sheBottom line: A Tale of Two Sisters is wonderfully chilling and offers more than a creepy premise which makes it a powerful cinematic experience.

The movie opens to a sterile mental hospital examination room. A girl sits in a chair opposite a doctor. He asks several questions which she ignores. He shows her a picture of her family. He asks, “What happened that day?” She raises her head and looks out the window. The camera fades to a shot looking out the back passenger window of a car as it drives through the forest, over a bridge and along a lake. Peacefully sad guitar/violin music plays as the car approaches an imposing house.

The opening shots juxtapose the ominous house with peaceful music. The intersection of scary images and not scary music isn’t new, Insidious, for example, plays Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Though the Tulips” but I don’t think this is what A Tale of Two Sisters is attempting. In some movies, we know that what we are watching a retelling of an event. The movie then becomes a something like a campfire ghost story. A Tale of Two Sisters presents the events after the fact but as a ‘story’ instead of a ‘ghost story’.

I have said time and time again that I hate horror movies. Even if they are of poor quality, I can never sleep after watching them. At the same time, I loved A Tale of Two Sisters. I loved it so much it makes me rethink my relationship with horror. I was genuinely scared during portions of the movie and yet, I slept soundly that night. As I write this, I smile because it was such a fun experience. I will go into more detail below but I hesitate to tell you much more because I did have fun trying to anticipate the story. Let us discuss a scene, the stepmother’s introduction, in the hopes of describing why A Tale of Two Sisters is so brilliant.

The two sisters, holding hands, timidly enter the large, silent, dimly lit house. Cutting the silence, we hear the stepmother saying, “Welcome home!” The camera cuts to a long shot of a long, dark hallway. The stepmother approaches the still camera. She speaks quickly and walks so smoothly it looks like she is floating instead of walking. The suddenness of her presence makes you want to recoil but the still camera prevents the reaction. Standing firm, the sensation of helplessness prolongs until we cut to her point of view. The two girls watch her (looking into the camera) and tense up. The collision of her swiftness and the previous still camera prolongs the sense of lack of control because even though we are moving we are not in control. Sure, we are never in control of the camera but we don’t usually realize it.

A Tale of Two Sisters is on top of its game. The music, cinematography and acting harmonize to make a complete experience that I highly recommend. The quality of the movie, rather than cheap scares, leaves a lasting impression. I’ve heard people liken horror movies to a roller coaster ride. The emphasis of the analogy is that horror movies thrive on cheap thrills and that the audience doesn’t anticipate what is happening next. I disagree with the analogy but let’s expand it a little. A roller coaster takes you for a ride but it brings you back to where you started. A typical horror movie, for me, is like driving off-road through the woods. It is bumpy and maybe exciting but when all is said and done, the driver (the movie) leaves you in the scary woods alone. I leave the theater with nightmares and paranoia. A Tale of Two Sisters is actually like a roller coaster ride because it takes you into a frightening situation but brings you back; the movie positions itself and the audience together in a discussion that is more complex than ‘a murdered child-ghost wants revenge.’ I’ve seen it twice so far and look forward to seeing it again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rumblebeelove

Nov 26, 2010

Beautifully crafted, this story stays with you. It's complicated, and it does take a few watchings, but everytime I was able to find a new clue. The unsettling and emotional ride is worth reading some subtitles.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Quadrapole

Mar 21, 2020

Pretentious movie where're it thinks it's smarter than it is. Slow pacing, overly dramatic and boring. The movie could have been explained in a 5 min scene but chose to waste 1.5hr dragging it out.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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64	#64 Most Discussed Movie of 2004
93	#93 Most Shared Movie of 2004