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

64 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.

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

A creepy and atmospheric psychological thriller which keeps its audience guessing until the very end.

Aug 11, 2021

Full Review

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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Linshimashy

It's a very interesting movie, it's not just scary for the sake of being scary, its plot and the order in which it's presented is very good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

delonte g

Very haunting visuals and a decent story. Horror at its finest.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

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