I’ve been looking for a horror to give me the same chills as I got when I first saw The Exorcist as a child (actually every horror I watched as a 6 year old scared the hell out of me), or as Ringu did during my teen years. It looks like I’ll still be searching for a fair while.
There hasn’t been a film that has really captured the essence or the despair of horror for me of late. Many have come, pretty much all have failed. To define horror is difficult, has it has been divided more times than some deranged nutter with multiple personality disorder. The term horror, and the representation of horror has become incredibly diluted, but in hand with this has come the sophistication and intelligence of horror viewers. No longer does a hand being cut off make anyone squirm, regardless of how realistic it sounds or looks. Horror has moved on, and the audience has grown up.
A Tale of Two Sisters attempts to add something refreshing to the genre of psychological horror (one of the many personalities of horror), creating a claustrophobic, despairing environment to watch with brooding atmosphere and dark visuals (perhaps too bloody dark at times). The characters are morbid, suspect, and creepy. Those that are supposedly sympathetic also come across as dangerously strange. You’re never quite sure what the hell is going on with the characters, nor what the actual story is. The relationships are gradually revealed, and it’s masterfully directed by Kim Jee-woon, who also created The Quiet Family (later remade as comic horror The Happiness of the Katatkuri’s by Miike Takashi)
The film is perhaps 20-30 minutes too long. At least that was how it felt for me. There are several moments when A Tale of Two Sisters seems to plod along, gripping it’s zimmer frame tightly and ensuring that the back of the queue feel the utmost frustration at its intention to make everyone wait. It grates sometimes; leading to frustration at times and eventually annoyance. Where it does pace itself, especially during the moments of suspense, it works pretty well. Mostly, however, the long periods of silence, lack of dialogue and intended build up of suspense just doesn’t work cohesively enough.
A Tale of Two Sisters is a rather self-explanatory tale of two siblings that return to a house with their father, and now living with their step mother. The step mother, as all step mothers are depicted, is a vicious, evil bitch played brilliantly by Yum Jung-ah. Of course, things aren’t so simple to explain, and trying to explain would be giving a heck of a lot away. There are several layers of depth to the film, which go from psychological horror, to supernatural horror as well as delusional schizophrenia. It’s an interesting mixture, and everyone plays their part very admirably.
I’ve heard this film being called a masterpiece. I wouldn’t go so far; in fact, it’s still hanging a few hundred feet outside of the Masterpiece Hotel, hoping that the crowd doesn’t block the view so it can at least view the building which holds all masterpieces. A Tale of Two Sisters is a very well directed, and enjoyable horror-cum-drama, but it is far removed from being a masterpiece as Cronenberg’s Scanners is an Oscar winner. Not to take anything away from the film, as it manages to pull off a lot of impressive scenes. All it has done, however, is taken the best from everything and place them together into a melting pot with a touch of originality. I’m not sure how close this film is in regard to the Momento Mori trilogy of films, but it somehow reminded me of those by plot alone.
There are several cleverly intertwined twists in the film, which seems to have caught everyone off guard, or at least surprised them. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes, however, to figure out what the hell is actually going on. In fact, by the first group scene, it’s pretty obvious what is going on, and you only need to watch the end to figure it out. The philosophy of revenge of retribution is manifested in a supernatural manner, which I felt takes something away from the film; having cleverly constructed a large distraction, it almost ruins it with its supernatural element. Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted that, as it goes to great pains to make things work in a certain way to provide the suggested illusion.
Horror isn’t as much a significant factor as tragedy is. That’s what the film seems to express; the tragedy of the sister who is suffering through remorse, guilt, and anger at herself for trying to forget and also trying to forgive herself over what happened in the past. By the end of the film, pretty much everything is tied up, and everything makes sense if you haven’t figured it out 20 minutes into the film. I’ve seen so many horror films, that they all seem to echo the same sentiment, the same scenes, and all offer something refreshing, but ultimately predictable.
I wouldn’t rate this as highly as I would Kurosawa’s Kairo or Nikata’s Ringu. Most of the others have very much disappointed; in contrast the two titles mentioned have set a benchmark or at least come up with something that makes the viewer think, and adds that essence of fear; not everything is nice and safe if you’re planning to watch the film, and that you may need a new set of underwear. Since the two, everything else has pretty much regurgitated what’s already been done before it. Had A Tale of Two Sisters arrived in 1998 or 1999 I could say that it is a masterpiece. But it’s 2003, and although there is much to praise this film for, much of it has already been done and only enhanced in this film.
A Tale of Two Sisters is definitely worth a look, if you haven’t been exposed to too much horror. It’s more of a psychological tragedy than a horror film, echoing films such as The Sixth Sense or Identity, as well as other Asian films. The tale itself is based upon Korean folklore, and has been turned into a film several times, but this time with a psychological edge. It works better, it’s definitely refreshing to see, and makes the film more entertaining. However, that doesn’t take away from the few stale scenes, extension of monotony, and so little in the way of any real drama or fear which simply makes the ending cheap.
I think the vast majority will love the film, as it takes things in slightly skewed direction, and it is a film that makes you ask “When did that happen? So she’s actually…” But if you’re a little on the smart end of the spectrum, rather than leaving you speechless and in awe, it will leave you wanting originality.
Verdict: Refreshing, clever and enjoyable horror tale but offering little suspense and too many clues