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A Tale of Two Sisters

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A Tale of Two Sisters

R

2003

1h 54m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Korean teen Su-mi (Yum Jung-ah) reunites with her beloved sister, Su-yeon (Im Soo-jung), and they return to live at their country home. The girls' widower father (Moon Geun-young) has remarried, and the siblings are immediately resentful of his new wife, Eun-joo (Kim Kap-soo). As Su-mi and Su-yeon try to resume their regular lives, strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.

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Critics Consensus

Restrained but disturbing, A Tale of Two Sisters is a creepily effective, if at times confusing, horror movie.

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Time Out

The atmosphere of mounting dread is matched by just-right performances, design and camerawork.

Jun 24, 2006

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Philippa Hawker

The Age (Australia)

This is a carefully structured film about grief and guilt, as well as horror. They don't resolve every disturbing moment or confusing element: they leave some questions hauntingly unanswered.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 17, 2006

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Noel Murray

AV Club

The film feels haunted by the relationship between Im and Moon, who cling to each other in the face of a hostile hostess, even though that may not be their best option.

Sep 26, 2005

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

A great piece of alchemy, in which everything we learn makes the film much sadder than it seemed when it was a jumpy horror film, but also in a way much more horrific.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 13, 2025

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Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana

Ghouls Magazine

As Coco Chanel once said: “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death” and A Tale of Two Sisters is a beautiful, yet terrifying embodiment of that.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 9, 2024

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Carolyn Hinds

JoySauce.com

Writer and director Kim Ji-woon created one of the most disturbing physiological horrors about the connection between siblings, the misconceptions and mistrust parents can have of those connections, and what we perceive to be real or not.

Nov 9, 2022

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Nic F

I'm surprised this has such high ratings. It does have some good plot pay offs at the end, but there is a lot of major over acting, confusing pacing and weak dialogue to get through. Without giving spoilers, I was still a bit confused at the end, about the fate of one of the characters (which I googled and others felt the same). Not one I'd recommend.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/21/25

Full Review

Audience Member

With a sixth sense of a twist, you'd think that's all there is to it. Add in mental health, family matters with a lingering ghost, and you'll have yourself a classic slow-burning ending with no needed dialogue.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Liam D

The film definitely feels a bit confusing but the film’s rich psychological atmosphere makes it worth watching

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

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Sam A

Parts of the movie don’t make much sense once the twist is revealed, but it’s still creepy enough with its dark atmosphere and intense performances.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

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Hargie M

The twist in "A Tale of Two Sisters" is both shocking and thought-provoking. It forced me to reconsider everything I had seen, recontextualizing the narrative in a way that made me appreciate the intricate storytelling even more. This twist isn’t just a cheap trick; it’s deeply woven into the film’s exploration of trauma, guilt, and family dynamics.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/30/24

Full Review

Justin T

This had really great cinematography. It looked really good. The sound was a bit sparse but was there for just the right amount when it was really needed so the quieter scape actually isn’t really a negative. I didn’t totally get the story, possibly because I didn’t know their names or what they looked like but that didn’t spoil my pretty scared viewing pleasure. I guess that’s on me for not really paying attention. It did make me jump and it made me jump well. Worth looking at for a solid setup to scare someone! It was a bit slow at the start and sometimes in the middle though. This looked and sounded fantastic. There were really scary bits and a confusing story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/11/24

Full Review

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Kim Jee-woon

Director

Yum Jung-ah

Eun-joo

Kim Kap-soo

Bae Moo-hyeon

Moon Geun-young

Bae Soo-yeon

Lim Soo-jung

Bae Soo-mi

Park Mi-hyeon

Sisters' Biological Mother

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Synopsis

After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Korean teen Su-mi (Yum Jung-ah) reunites with her beloved sister, Su-yeon (Im Soo-jung), and they return to live at their country home. The girls' widower father (Moon Geun-young) has remarried, and the siblings are immediately resentful of his new wife, Eun-joo (Kim Kap-soo). As Su-mi and Su-yeon try to resume their regular lives, strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.

Director: Kim Jee-woon
Producer: Oh Ki-min, Kim Yeong
Screenwriter: Kim Jee-woon
Production Co: Bom Film Productions , Masulpiri Pictures
Rating: R (Some Violence|Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2020
Runtime: 1h 54m