The Ring and The Grudge were but dainty appetizers compared to the cinematic feast of Korean director Kim Jee-Woon's mercilessly disturbing A Tale of Two Sisters, which may just cement Asia's position on the bleeding edge of horror. This story of two good sisters and their evil stepmother melds fairytale insight into human behavior with a modern understanding of disturbed psychology to dissect grief and madness in ways that will engage and bewilder both your lizard brain and your higher intellect. The cruelty of Eun-joo (the wickedly good Yeom Jeong-a) to her teenage stepdaughters seems inexplicable: after both sisters return home from a stay in a mental hospital, Su-mi (Im Soo-jeong) finds her old bedroom full of someone else's stuff, while Su-yeon (Moon Geun-young) awakens in the middle of the night to find someone creeping around her room. Dad (Kim Kab-su) has withdrawn into his own world--perhaps as a result of whatever terrible event put the girls in the hospital--and is skeptical of Su-mi's accusations concerning his wife's meanness. A wildly dysfunctional family is the least of what's going on here though, and the ferocious turns the film takes will leave you fearing for your own sanity. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this double-disc set include audio commentaries (one by director Kim Jee-Woon, cinematographer Lee Mo-gae, and a lighting director; the other by Kim and cast members), a subtitled 24-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, interviews with the four costars (10-13 min. each), “Director's Thoughts on Horror” (16 min.), “An Explanation by the Director” (10 min.), featurettes on production design (12 min.), the musical score (6 min.), CGI effects (6 min.), “Creating the Poster” (6 min.), and “A Psychiatrist's Perspective,” featuring psychiatrist Jung-il Kim (5 min.), 12 deleted scenes, a four-minute stills gallery slideshow, a three-minute outtakes reel, two minutes of original promo footage, and an Easter egg voiceover montage of “letters” by actresses Su-jeong Lim and Geun-yung Moon. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a chiller of a film.] (M. Johanson)
A Tale of Two Sisters
Tartan, 115 min., in Korean w/English subtitles, DVD: $24.99 (unrated), $21.99 (R-rated), Mar. 29 Volume 20, Issue 2
A Tale of Two Sisters
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