‘A Tale Of Two Sisters: A Korean Horror Masterpiece
Horror is a staple of South Korean cinema, from the thrilling and murderous thrillers of the 1960s classic The Maid to the blockbusters Train to Busan and The Crying . However, the rise of this genre came in the 1990s, when important films such as "Whispered Corridors ", "The Quiet Family" and "Memories " were released. These films brought national horror films to the attention of the public. During the 2000s, 2003 was a breakout year for South Korean horror films, with the release of three critically acclaimed films: Park Chan-wook's critically acclaimed horror thriller The Old Boy and the popular crime thriller Memories of Murder . Oh, and finally the theme. From this play is Kim Ji Won's wonderful masterpiece , "Tale of Sisters" .
A Tale of Two Sisters exploded at the Korean box office upon release and has proven to be a key text in the broader view of South Korean cinema around the world. It became the first Korean film to be released in the US and changed the course of the entire genre. Us , Go and No director Jordan Peele is one of the many directors who have cited the film as an inspiration, along with Goodnight Mommy creators Severin Fiala and Veronica Franz. 20 years after its release , A Tale of Two Sisters appears to be as terrifying as the day it was released.
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Changhwa Hongryeon jeon Inspired by the Joseon-era fairy tale, A Tale of Two Sisters tells the story of two brothers, Soo Mi and Soo Yeon, who return to a large Gothic country mansion after being released from a mental institution. . Despite the picturesque setting, things are scary in the family as the sisters frequently clash with stepmother Heo Eun Ju. Meanwhile, their father, Moo Hyun Bae, becomes increasingly estranged from the family. When a series of mysterious and sinister events begin at home, So Mi discovers the dark secrets her parents have been trying to hide.
Blending a mix of domestic horror, psychological trauma and family ties, A Tale of Two Sisters uses some familiar horror genres and subverts others to keep audiences on the edge of their seats over two decades of release. The film's roots are based on the famous folk tale "Changhwa Hongryongjeon", which was adapted into the film "The Uncalled For" in 1924, 1936, 1956, 1962, 1972 and 2009. However, Ji Won's remake replaces the happy ending of the folk tale with a much scarier ending, just like other Korean horror shows.
Another folkloric element that Ji-won uses in the film is the vengeful long-haired ghost woman who is consumed by the tragedy and rage of East Asian cinema. Folklore aside, A Tale of Two Sisters reflects Korean cinema as a whole, deepening horror and reflecting on the trauma of the golden age of Korean cinema.
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The film's setting seems familiar to audiences around the world, even though the action takes place directly in Korea. An isolated country house, an evil stepmother who abuses two young girls, shadowy creatures and many secrets lurking in every corner of the estate, would not be out of place in a classic gothic haunted house story. Scenes often go without a word of dialogue, instead focusing on the elevated atmosphere of the house, with its long, eerie corridors, rich dark colors, ornate furniture and abundant floral imagery.
A Tale of Two Sisters ' beautiful cinematography, full of haunting shots and haunting music by Lee Byeong-woo, sets the stage for the film's intense and unbearably creepy atmosphere, where Yoon-joo brings the audience into full awareness with a simple statement and disturbing imagery. to look
That's the message that runs throughout A Tale of Two Sisters , with beautiful images capturing its dark and sinister inner history. Even in the dinner scene, we see Yoon Joo and Moo Hyun happily playing in front of their guests. Although their marriage was not unhappy, the children at home feared for their lives. The terror of the family and the monster mother is an essential part of this dark tale that always feels green. The two extremes of the human psyche and the home are shown through the clashing personalities of Moo Hyun, a passive father who refuses to consider how his past actions affect others, and cruel stepmother Eun Ju, whose femininity grows with her stepdaughters . importance It is also important to the horror elements of the film.
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Female sexuality is often distorted in popular culture, especially among teenage girls. There is an obsession with losing the preconceived notions of innocence for women to discover their sexuality. In Tale of Two Sisters, the home decor and the crimson dresses worn by the women in the film can be seen as symbols of menstruation. One of the ghosts appears on Soo-mi, and blood can be seen running down her leg before a hand emerges from under her dress. Yoon Joo mentioned that he and So Mi managed to get killed at the same time in the movie, and the latter was shocked by this announcement. Menstruation is also brutally treated in A Tale of Two Sisters as the two menstruating protagonists, So Mi and Yoon Joo, perform the film's most violent and emotional acts on each other and those around them.
Fear of female sexuality gives way to fear of pregnancy and motherhood, which A Tale of Two Sisters deals with through Su Mi and her sense of danger at home. A recurring motif in the film is the representation of flowers in the clothes and home decor of the female characters. Flowers are often used as symbols to indicate that a woman has "reached" puberty and is at an age where she can have children. These repeated images show that these women cannot escape the home and therefore the path to parenthood.
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Later in the film, when Soo-mi investigates mysterious noises in the house, she encounters the ghost of a woman spitting a clear liquid while a child cries. The liquid can be seen as amniotic fluid, and the movement of the ghost suggests that motherhood is creeping closer for Su Mi. Due to the ghost's presence, the dim light used confuses the entity with the house as if they have become one, and Su Mi is unable to escape the life and pain her mother endured before. This issue is widespread today, especially in the postpartum world, where reproductive rights and bodily autonomy are denied to those in the womb.
Korean horror often likes to mix the twin terrors of supernatural horror with natural horror. A Tale of Two Sisters is no different, both ghosts and humans strike terror in a heart-wrenching story. There is no distinction between the ghosts that live in the house and the skeletons in the closet that torment the human characters.
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Ultimately , A Tale of Two Sisters is a story about events that blur, and what we see on the surface doesn't always reveal what lies beneath. Death, birth, parenthood, infidelity and the movement between different family units are reflected in the film's narrative, and the horror of that reality is sometimes scarier than any ghost or ghost we find under the sink or cupboard. Evil can be human or supernatural. In addition, it can be old or young.
The seeds of Korean film success, such as Oscars for actresses such as Yeon Yoo-jung's Mina and Joon Ho's 2020 blockbuster Parasite , were sown in Ji-woon's 2003 breakthrough film A Tale of Two Sisters. . The beautiful dark film combines the picturesque images of gothic cinema with the brutal conventions of horror and themes rooted in realism that evoke genuine fear. This fear continues to terrify new generations of horror fans.
Status: Editorial
