A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)

This is an excellent asian horror film, in fact, one of my favorite horror films. It is comparable to Audition in style but Jee-woon Kim's construction is more solid when it comes to the puzzle-like nature that both films possess. He manages to create horror using both psychological and supernatural elements, executing them both with great skill. I have a hard time finding ghost-like characters in movies that look believable and frightening. Jee-woon Kim uses an approach similar to The Ring, but he does it successfully.

The suspense is horrifying. The story takes place in a house to which two sisters return home after leaving a mental institution. The audience has little information to start with but the family's dark secrets slowly piece together. The ending is emotionally disturbing and quite unpredictable. I actually had to re-watch a few scenes to fully understand and accept the film's fate and that made me realize just how perfectly he set-up the ending. I am also glad that he didn't go in the 'open-interpretation' direction.

The film is beautiful. The camera shots are poetic with intentional use of placement, symmetry, and color. There are some gorgeous shots that I literally paused for just to admire. The young actresses are very believable and look very pretty throughout the film.


*The Uninvited (2009) is the American remake