Kim Jee Woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters is a brutally difficult film to review. Not because there aren’t plenty of brilliant, fascinating things to talk about but because talking about any of them will almost necessarily mean spoiling some major aspect of the film. What can be safely said, however, is that the film is a modern classic and judging from their excellent DVD release Tartan Films is perfectly aware of what they’ve got and are planning on making it a tent-pole release.
Based on a Korean folk tale A Tale of Two Sisters tells the story of Su-Mi and Su-Yeon, two teenaged sisters who have just returned to their family home after an extended stay in hospital. From the moment the two girls step out of the car it is obvious that this is a family with layers upon layers of secrets. The step-mother, Eun-Joo, bristles with icy, blatantly false hospitality; the father is completely emotionally distant; discussions of the girls’ stay in the hospital and the absence of their true mother – an obvious sore point for both girls - are obviously unwelcome. Eun-Joo’s cold formality dissolves into open hatred whenever she gets the girls alone, a sentiment returned in kind, and Su-Mi gradually becomes convinced that Eun-Joo means to do harm to Su-Yeon. Making matters even worse are the unexplained phenomenon that continually take place throughout the house: items move seemingly on their own, sudden noises, strange visions. Is it all in the family members’ heads or is there something supernatural happening in the house?
A Tale of Two Sisters refuses to fit neatly into any genre, though it is most commonly referred to as a horror film, and it is all the stronger for that. Director Kim obviously values ambiguity as a tool to keep the audience guessing, by refusing to follow a neat pattern he forces you out of any sense of easy familiarity and keeps the world of the film tilting and roiling in unexpected directions. This is a film that rewards multiple viewings thanks to the range of possible interpretations and the wealth of small details, unnoticed on first viewing, that will push you in one direction or another as you slowly pick them up.
On a technical level the film succeeds on all counts. Right from the opening sequence – a slow, deliberate pan across some elaborately patterned surface, possibly wallpaper – Kim creates an engrossing, languid visual style. Everything is very measured, very deliberate, very proper, with a flawless outer sheen concealing what lies just below the surface. All four principal actors turn in dead solid performances – Su-Mi and Eun-Joo are particularly strong – and the cinematography and sound work are both absolutely top notch.
Now a good number of readers here will already know all of this and already own a version or two of the film imported from Asia. So why bother with this one? Well, let’s break it down.
Disc One: an anamorphic transfer; DTS sound; flawless subtitles; two full length subtitled commentaries commentaries, one with director and crew and the other with director and cast; and one easter egg that I haven’t gone hunting for just yet.
Disc Two: a stack of deleted scenes, including a pair of entirely abandoned sub-plots, all of which featured very detailed commentary from Kim explaining the thinking behind the scenes and their eventual removal; an out take reel; behind the scenes footage; interviews with the cast; a documentary on the film; the director’s analysis of the film; another hidden feature; a reel of other Tartan Asia Extreme trailers (and they really do need to start using better film stock for their trailers … man, they make some great films look bad); and, for good measure, a psychiatrist’s evaluation of the film.
This, boys and girls, is a fantastic release of a brilliant film and very definitely the definitive edition for the English speaking world. Pre-order it at Amazon here.