A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

(2004) Ji-woon Kim
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430659/
(Janghwa, Hongryeon)

This little delight comes to us from Korea and is by far one of my favorite films. It's a classic “stepmom” film and has some of the most creepy, sleep disturbing visuals and concepts that I've seen. This is no simple horror, slash and dash, however. This is a film that takes time to tell a story. The plot is developed expertly by Ji-woon Kim and his direction is fantastic. Another of Kim's works – the MEMORIES segment of THREE – also created a feeling of dread that drove me to get TALE at once. I was not disappointed.
The acting is fantastic as well, which sells it for sure. Jung-ah Yum plays the stepmother on the edge perfectly and Su-jeong Lim and Geun-Young Moon play sisters with a tenderness and vulnerability that is touching. They kept me locked into their struggles and in the film - never once being over the top or playing to some caricature of who they were trying to play.
The simple setting lets you settle in and watch as the events unfold. It invites you to roam within it's confines, but once there, you wish you were free to come and go as you please.
If you like character drama, strange goings on, and things that go bump in the night, you'll love A TALE OF TWO SISTERS.