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A Tale of Two Sisters

2003
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
1h 54m
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)
Directed by:
Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon Kim
Written by:
Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon Kim
Starring:
Kim Kap-su Yum Jung-ah Lim Soo-jung Lim Soo-jung Geun-young Moon Geun-young Moon Seung-bi Lee Park Mi-Hyun Woo Ki-Hong Lee Dae-Yeon
More
Genres:
Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Horror
AKA:
Janghwa, Hongryeon
Country:
South Korea
Language:
Korean
imdb More information at IMDb
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A Tale of Two Sisters

2003
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
1h 54m
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Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 57.58% from 1714 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(1714)
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sailorripleySailorRipley
Rated 08 Dec 2008
95
94th
Beautifully realised, Kim Ji-Woon's ghost story is so much more than just a simple nod to fairy tales, it shows that rarest of animals on horror, restraint. Its plot drives much of its ambition on twist and turns, but it's the wondrous atmospherics, a striking sound design, a deliciously melodic score by Byeong Woo Lee and pitch-perfect performances that drives this forward. Absolutely top of its kind.
Rated 08 Dec 2008
cogsworthcogsworth
Rated 19 Dec 2010
88
81st
A Tale of Two Sisters is truly a roller-coaster of emotion, starting with innocence, diving into terror, and ending with a shocking display of sadness and cruelty. The camera work is excellent, and Kim Ji-Woon makes terrific use of ambiance and setting to provide the scares. Highly recommended if you happen to be seeking a more intelligent horror movie.
Rated 19 Dec 2010
batface89batface89
Rated 28 Jul 2008
91
85th
Crazy story. Its a bit slow moving but really takes a lot of twists. Great ending.
Rated 28 Jul 2008
akronAkron
Rated 05 Jul 2009
100
99th
Amazing attention to detail, beautiful cinematography, and great choice of score, which contributes to the desperate atmosphere. A subtle yet intensive movie with great execution of its horror elements, without over-using them. Every single scene and detail serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall excellence of this film. A true masterpiece.
Rated 05 Jul 2009
pickle_piePickle Pie
Rated 07 May 2008
100
96th
Amazing, beautiful and complex.
Rated 07 May 2008
istayawayistayaway
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
81st
The best of the 'girls with hair in the face' movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
obdurateObdurate
Rated 03 Apr 2016
80
67th
It's not a horror movie that really succeeds in scaring the audience. There is a creepy atmosphere, which I like, and a few moments of terror, but if it wasn't as psychologically rich as it is then it would be a failure in the genre. What it does well is actually be a drama with some heart, so I was actually invested in the events and characters. It's dark and moody, but there's emotion. I also love the decor and colours of the house; the interior says so much.
Rated 03 Apr 2016
redactedredacted
Rated 19 May 2015
42
17th
I found the editing too choppy & the scene to scene choices too irregular to generate continued immersion. There was little backstory to go from either. I gathered there was 2 daughters, a dead mother, a step-mother & an impotent patriarch, from there its fill the gaps. It's becoming a regular annoyance in horror films that a character won't utter a line of dialogue to change the complexion of a scene, despite being capable of doing so. Rather, remain silent to prolong tension, sadly in vain.
Rated 19 May 2015
smoovejSmooveJ
Rated 26 Jan 2007
71
21st
I didn't really care for the conclusion/explanation at all, and the film contains some of the worst, most heavy-handed usage of sound to create suspense I've ever seen. There are certainly some good ideas to be found, but I just can't very highly recommend this movie, unless you're a huge fan of Asian horror.
Rated 26 Jan 2007
picklemanPickle_Man
Rated 03 Nov 2020
55
17th
Looks nice, but it's one of those movies with an extended flashback/here's-what-actually-happened sequence that totally fails to adequately contextualize the preceding events. Knowing the reveal adds nothing to the first three quarters of this. Please stop contorting horror movies into asinine, ham-fisted and obvious trauma allegories. It was dumb in Hereditary, moronic in Babadook, Raw was barely watchable.
Rated 03 Nov 2020
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 24 Jan 2007
72
41st
The primary bit of info I had about this movie before watching it is that it's confusing. And it's definitely confusing, although for the most part I managed to piece it together myself. Reading another person's analysis afterwards helped fill in the gaps. It's cleverly constructed, but seems specifically designed to force you to watch it again. Nice photography and the unsettling atmosphere make it worthwhile.
Rated 24 Jan 2007
woozybWoozyB
Rated 16 Jan 2010
60
14th
Disjointed, badly paced near the end, too wrapped up in its own atmosphere to provide a well envisioned narrative for folks that aren't Korean and/or don't know the folktales its based off of. When it works, it works pretty well, which is unfortunately not too often.
Rated 16 Jan 2010
denizgunal13denizgunal13
Rated 14 Nov 2018
71
67th
#71
Rated 14 Nov 2018
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 28 Oct 2020
65
42nd
Can't say I really enjoyed it, but damn if Kim Ji-woon doesn't direct the hell out of every second of this. Constantly witching between arthouse drama and blockbuster horror styles as the plot repeatedly morphs into a completely different story with every new twist.
Rated 28 Oct 2020
pigletPiglet
Rated 26 Jul 2009
74
75th
Disappointing as a thriller, has no suspense in it, barr a scene at the end. But works as a drama. I don't know it that means it has failed, or not.
Rated 26 Jul 2009
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 17 Jan 2009
79
57th
From a storytelling perspective it's intriguing, though flawed. Primarily because it's a tad too confusing, even for a film whose goal is to be mysterious and suspenseful. Nonetheless, most of it does make reasonable sense by the end and the visual style is fantastic.
Rated 17 Jan 2009
muutanetmuutanet
Rated 20 Aug 2009
61
51st
There was lots of potential in this movie. Su-jeong Lim was nice on her part, score brilliant and shooting very good. There was many good scenes and the main plot worked, but the executing of it was time after time irritating. I guessed the story from the start, though it was not that predictable. But the director fell into cheap effects during the way and practically everything was too weird to make the story interesting to follow.
Rated 20 Aug 2009
x_humanx-human
Rated 29 Jan 2010
81
72nd
I had it half way figured out from the start; fortunately there's a lot more at play than first meets the eye. It's an intriguing mystery with an almost Lynch-ian sense of humor. South Korea strikes again.
Rated 29 Jan 2010
flashsamuraiflashsamurai
Rated 05 Mar 2011
75
35th
I had no clue where the film was going at any point. The camera angles provided a much needed addition of suspense, but it was never truly scary, (except for the dinner scene). The hostile / dark atmosphere fits the movie well. The cinematography deserves praise and the epilogue's music is beautiful. The music for the suspenseful parts are terrible, and the middle of the movie moves at a snails pace. There is potential here, and it hits a home-run with the epic ending.
Rated 05 Mar 2011
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 15 Nov 2014
66
36th
Creepy and disturbing but pretty incoherent. I just felt confused at the end. Maybe I wasn't really up to it at the time or maybe it's just crappy storytelling.
Rated 15 Nov 2014
closedmouthclosedmouth
Rated 05 Feb 2012
80
68th
Kim kinda shanks the ending by over-explaining and lingering too long, but I suppose that's a consequence of the complexity of the plot and also of how long he has to hold information back from the audience. I enjoyed the mystery, though, and he's very good at building tension, which I can attest to given that I was pretty much in teeth-clenched terror for most of the duration. The explanation is always less interesting than the mystery itself.
Rated 05 Feb 2012
penchupenchu
Rated 22 Jul 2009
75
74th
nice mess
Rated 22 Jul 2009
helfen419helfen419
Rated 26 Jan 2011
60
19th
I'm not sure what happened..
Rated 26 Jan 2011
cowmanCowman
Rated 08 Jun 2018
65
40th
Very confusing, too much confusion. Sometimes I wished the characters would say something, but they don't.
Rated 08 Jun 2018
jacoiiiJacoIII
Rated 28 Dec 2018
40
54th
SPOILER: I'm not usually a fan of films with "one big twist" but I have to say I felt Ji-woon Kim played this one perfectly. Also, I only just realized that the film almost never leaves the house for the entire running time. Keeping the movie visually interesting while staying in a single location is an achievement in itself. My big issue is that I felt the script left too much unsaid and, despite paying close attention, I wasn't able to totally figure out what was going on.
Rated 28 Dec 2018
isaboojumisaboojum
Rated 17 Oct 2012
2
29th
Being enigmatic is one thing; being convoluted is quite another. I really wanted to like this, but the storytelling is just not good, the pacing is just not right.
Rated 17 Oct 2012
kramyessevKramYessev
Rated 31 Dec 2012
84
95th
Yet another entry in Kim Ji-woon's flawless body of work. Visually and aurally arresting, "A Tale of Two Sisters" plays it safe within the confines of its genre, showing nothing I haven't seen before, yet somehow manages to be unique and engrossing. Proving that some of the best horror films are the ones that show restraint and successfully use ambiguity, the atmosphere is the key to a lot of its unnerving moments, although there are a few "Asian-girl-with-hair-in-face" moments.
Rated 31 Dec 2012
carsonwidCarsonWid
Rated 22 Apr 2011
79
86th
A horror film that manages to be creepy as hell but actually has a meaning and is filled with rich symbolism. It does go off the rails a few times but is made up for superb direction. All in all, quite unique and quite well done....will be confusing for most though.
Rated 22 Apr 2011
tearsofashtearsofash
Rated 24 Jul 2010
80
68th
Fairly dry during the middle, but the overall experience is pretty damn rewarding.
Rated 24 Jul 2010
mangoluver4umangoluver4u
Rated 25 Dec 2009
80
69th
This bitch must have ate a bowl of crazy for breakfast. Seriously the movie was good just a bit confusing, but with anything in life you take the good with the bad.
Rated 25 Dec 2009
stflyst_fly
Rated 03 May 2009
76
76th
Good. Two sisters return home from the mental ward to live with their father only to experience terrifying visions and supernatural phenomenon. This is a beautifully told story shot in gorgeous tones and wonderfully acted. Worth a watch.
Rated 03 May 2009
doctor7doctor7
Rated 14 Aug 2007
56
34th
One really well done really creepy part. One VERY socially uncomfortable dinner. These two parts make the film worth seeing. However, the rest of it is simply a series of "what the hell is going on?" Even when the film ends and the "twist" is revealed you still are left going "what the hell did that just happen?"
Rated 14 Aug 2007
kendramillerkendramiller
Rated 11 Aug 2008
98
84th
Love Japanese horror.....
Rated 11 Aug 2008
mysticMystic
Rated 11 Nov 2022
3
42nd
Atmospheric, eerie, and mysterious thriller-drama. Well-made. But the mystery reveal did not appeal to me. Perhaps would have made a dent in me if I had watched it a decade earlier; too laidback and lazy (non-receiving) now to empathize a tragedy. Also felt like the father arc was underdeveloped/ too passive.
Rated 11 Nov 2022
lupisterlupister
Rated 21 Aug 2012
53
56th
Kinda silly and convuluted. It also has way too many "endings".
Rated 21 Aug 2012
scorpionwaspScorpionWasp
Rated 10 Jun 2016
45
11th
Don't know if it's the cultural/language barrier, but you spend most of the movie scratching your head, and you remain just as puzzled when it ends. The dialogue is always terse and weird, like the movie expects you to read between the lines, but being a westerner, you just can't.
Rated 10 Jun 2016
glm01glm01
Rated 26 Mar 2014
79
61st
79.000
Rated 26 Mar 2014
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 20 Aug 2018
70
58th
Macabre Month of Horror review: https://youtu.be/tpB1ti73YQI
Rated 20 Aug 2018
staypuftStay_Puft
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
91st
Awesome movie. But what's up with that tent?
Rated 14 Aug 2007
nothingsgoodNothingsGood
Rated 30 Jan 2017
65
65th
Red vs. Green: a horror movie presented in two dreams and a flashback.
Rated 30 Jan 2017
iyisinekiyisinek
Rated 27 Jan 2011
40
8th
kiz kardesler, öksüz, ölüm, sizofren, hayali, (cok agir bir film ilk yariya kadar cok bunaltici, süre filme gore cok uzun) bezerleri: the shining, the uninvited
Rated 27 Jan 2011
cinemaasiaCinema_Asia
Rated 24 Sep 2011
75
71st
The twist in this film isn't as interesting as the atmosphere and surreal method in storytelling. Director Ji-woon Kim knows how to manipulate expectations but falls short on making a truly psychologically terrifying film by telegraphing every moment to the audience.
Rated 24 Sep 2011
frankhowleyFrankHowley
Rated 06 Jun 2010
40
7th
Even after seeing it twice, it's still too much of a complicated story even though it shouldn't be. The art direction is great, but it's too slow for me.
Rated 06 Jun 2010
foxyrussianFoxyRussian
Rated 30 Oct 2020
89
72nd
This is like the lighthouse, where I can't tell if the narrative was just a little too dense for it's own good. Or if I'm actually stupid. Anyway, damn the plot is crazy on this one. Kept me on the toes and uneasy throughout. It's incredible in that it feels paced like a slow burn, but by the time it's 100 minute runtime was over, I had sworn only 30 minutes had passed. The acting is also incredibly good. Which I feel is harder to judge with a language barrier, so the acting was REALLY good.
Rated 30 Oct 2020
jess0062Jess0062
Rated 25 Oct 2019
95
70th
Brilliant movie. Director is a master at using color, light/shadows, and set design to help tell a very deep, terrifying, and sad story. Recommend watching more than once.
Rated 25 Oct 2019
paxtonPaxton
Rated 22 Feb 2013
81
90th
I've seen enough horror movies to begin tapping my feet to the cadence of a jump scare, but the most obvious one in this movie is set up so perfectly that it STILL effects me every time I watch it. Oh, and there's an asian lady crawling on the bedroom floor. That will forever haunt my dreams.
Rated 22 Feb 2013
kasperlKasperL
Rated 16 Feb 2024
75
77th
Awesome direction and incredible cinematography. The last act has some problems, however.
Rated 16 Feb 2024
axleblazeaxleblaze
Rated 13 Mar 2012
48
10th
Often creepy but it all builds to an absolutely terrible ending. A movie more concerned with it's twist then actually telling a good story.
Rated 13 Mar 2012
empiremagempiremag
Rated 23 Apr 2009
4
71st
"Masterfully manipulative and bloody scary."
Rated 23 Apr 2009
vandeniovandenio
Rated 10 Nov 2013
66
40th
It's unexpected to say that, but this is one of the movies when I enjoyed the Hollywood remake of it much better than an original...
Rated 10 Nov 2013
rocketluccoRocketlucco
Rated 02 Aug 2012
85
87th
Overall Enjoyment: 35/40, Plot/Themes: 15/20, Cinematography/Direction: 20/20, Acting/Writing: 15/20 Excellent psychological thriller/horror with a strong plot, creepy atmosphere, and some great scares. Mixes the best of a psychological thriller with good old fashion Japense monster horror.
Rated 02 Aug 2012
chemical404chemical404
Rated 17 May 2010
70
83rd
It is an extremely elegant film with beautiful art design, great direction and chilling atmosphere. Story is a classic Korean horror tale. It takes a few watches to fully understand what exactly is happening. One of the few horror movies that still manages to scare me.
Rated 17 May 2010
gorejunkygorejunky
Rated 22 Aug 2010
90
66th
Amazing film with some great performances. Equally sad and horrific this is a truly must see movie!
Rated 22 Aug 2010
kusanagiKusanagi
Rated 05 Jun 2012
75
48th
Tough to follow in a couple parts (a lot of disorientation came from all the timeline switching), this may have been better for me if I was more familiar with the source material.
Rated 05 Jun 2012
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 13 Oct 2011
30
78th
"Unnervingly conflates fairytale lore with the angst of adolescent sexual development." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 13 Oct 2011
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 18 Sep 2020
40
19th
A confused jumbled mess which is rather boring.
Rated 18 Sep 2020
frozenconeFrozencone
Rated 29 Dec 2013
40
18th
slow and boring really all the twists were shit not scary at all characters all acted dumb
Rated 29 Dec 2013
kojilessKojiless
Rated 05 Dec 2016
10
11th
An unfrightening mess filled with plot holes, overacting, random scene changes, questionable directorial decisions, obligatory vagueness for the sake of vagueness, scenes ending because reasons, and a twist as about as original as a bucket of water. Our filmmaker has confused incoherence with art, and we, the viewers, must suffer.
Rated 05 Dec 2016
glmglm
Rated 02 Apr 2012
81
69th
80.750
Rated 02 Apr 2012
jakeaestheteJakeAesthete
Rated 05 Apr 2015
17
15th
Granted, to be fair i don't think watching this projected onto a wall while people make snarky comments about it was exactly the ideal way to appreciate this or get into it's mood, but i'm still glad that it doesn't seem like i'm the only one who found this pretty, but pretty much incomprehensible.
Rated 05 Apr 2015
shmendrekShmendrek
Rated 04 Feb 2008
2
33rd
Maybe if I knew a little more about the fairy tale, I would have enjoyed this more.
Rated 04 Feb 2008
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 01 Jul 2008
88
96th
Very Nice
Rated 01 Jul 2008
margustaMargusTa
Rated 21 Feb 2021
73
66th
Interesting and pretty creepy horror film from South-Korean director/screenwriter Ji-woon Kim. Events on the movie are so mixed up that viewer may think that he/she is mentally ill. Best part of confusing movie is, that family father doesn't know a thing what's going on.
Rated 21 Feb 2021
td888td888
Rated 29 Dec 2009
40
28th
Boring in the beginning and becoming utterly confusing in the end. The scary parts are good though.
Rated 29 Dec 2009
topaz420topaz420
Rated 18 Jan 2011
65
16th
I sought this out after the same director's I Saw The Devil knocked me on my rear. This is more of a gothic tale, and SLOW as molasses, with a payoff unworthy of the long road to get to it. Would work better as a short than a feature, and my score suffers because of it. Nevertheless, a talented director whose work I will continue to search for.
Rated 18 Jan 2011
nuotionuotio
Rated 24 Jan 2007
70
91st
I've seen it twice now, and I actually liked it a lot better on the second viewing. It's very confidently directed, stylish and in many ways a combination of scares of new wave of Asian horror and traditional suspense films that e.g. Hitchcock made. I was initially underwhelmed by the twist(s) but there are so many small details to discover on repeat viewings that it doesn't really matter. Also, when you know how it ends, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride without guessing the conclusion.
Rated 24 Jan 2007
dustydDustyd
Rated 16 Sep 2007
40
11th
dull, unscary, and mildly predictable
Rated 16 Sep 2007
b4conb4con
Rated 04 Oct 2009
90
84th
I think this is my first venture into modern Asian horror. I didn't have any expectations but I'm still somewhat surprised that I like this so much. Very disorienting and to call it manipulative or predictable is ultimately a misinterpretation. The confusion is a part of the message.
Rated 04 Oct 2009

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