Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters)

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Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters)

84% Liked It
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Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of ...

Su-jeong Lim, Yeom Jeong-ah, Kim Gab-su, Mun Geun-yeong

Inspired by a Korean legend, this is the odyssey of two sisters, who after spending time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father and cruel stepmother. Their recovery is affected by...( read more  read more... ) their stepmother's increasing cruelty, together with appearances of the ghost of their mother, which creates an atmosphere of strange occurrences and irrepressible fear.

Id: 1204301

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Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters) Recent Reviews
  • 76Majikat
    May 4, 2009
    76Majikat
    Very slow moving at first, then everything seems to happen really fast. Having watched this just the once, I?m still placing pieces together, so am not sure if I totally got it.

    I know this is a well liked film and my rating reflects my lack of understanding of the film at ...( read more)this stage and is definitely worthy of another watch.
  • ohagankieran
    May 1, 2009
    ohagankieran
    I love horror films, but I think they work way better when they hide a dramatic impact behind (The Devil's Backbone, The Exorcist, for example). This is that kind of film, and it's not only eerie and terrifying when it has to be, it is also really beautiful. A Tale of Two Sisters...( read more) starts really slow, so if you're in a hurry to see ghosts in the first 20 minutes you will be disappointed. Actually this is not a ghost story ?though there are some. It's something more complex, and it's done in such a way that it beats Ringu and The Grudge out of the ring no sweat. A Tale? is a way more clever film than those huge cultural hits, because it really cares for its characters, and the direction is flawless. Every detail in this film will leave you breathless if you're the kind of person who loves to pay attention to details while watching a movie. The acting is superb, specially from the stepmother and the main girl. Those two are worth the price of the ticket alone. Do yourself a favor and watch this awesome film.
  • SilentWarProductions2009
    January 3, 2009
    SilentWarProductions2009
    Directed by: Ji-Woon Kim.
    Starring: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Su-jeong Lim, Geun-yeong Mun.

    << "You know whats really scary? You want to forget something, totally wipe it off of your mind, but you never can. It can't go away you see and it follows y...( read more)ou around...like a ghost." >>

    I will try my best here to not give anything away, so in advance: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

    I'm hearing about many people labeling this as a horror film...it isn't by any means, its a drama and a character study, with some horror elements thrown into the mix to act more as a curtain.

    The story follows two sisters, who after spending time in a mental institution, return home with there father and there cruel stepmother. As they try to slowly recover, they have to deal with there stepmothers obsessive ways and a ghost, who seems to be stopping there progress.

    As I mentioned before, it isn't a horror film as such, it focuses deeply on the relationship of these sisters and how memory and trauma can be difficult to move on from. To help create a sense of no hope for these characters (and to cover up any answers), the filmmakers have created Mystery and Horror elements to keep the audience guessing right up until the end and to slowly chill you during the film with amazing tension, beautiful and creepy atmosphere and spine tingling scares.

    The score fits into the story so amazingly well, its both tragically beautiful and hauntingly chilling. What also surprised me was how great the acting ensemble was, with some strong, captivating performances from Im Sun-yeong and Mun Geun-yeong.

    The film to me, is a beautiful and complex masterpiece. It studies trauma, memory and the human nature of these characters and all the while, creating a sense of suspense and mystery to add a sense of hopelessness to these characters and to cover the answers up and keep us guessing right until the end...even then you might feel like your viewing of the film is incomplete, don't hesitate to watch it again, as you will find many scenes to study.

    A rare gem of a film that is to be remade by American's next year...and we all know they will not get the point of the film and make it into a cheap PG-13 'scarefest'. Do yourself a favor and see this now!

    90/100

    << "As much as you hate it, I'm the only one in this world you can call mother, got it?" >>
  • Jungian
    September 15, 2008
    Jungian
    i'll keep it simple. it has some really creepy moments but very predictable and cliche.
  • organgrinder136
    August 6, 2008
    organgrinder136
    it's definitely a strange one. perhaps i'm giving it a below average rating because i've seen a few asian horror films lately and they always seem to have a ghost in them that's female with long dark hair. things were a little bit different here, not much... but i don't wanna spo...( read more)il that for anyone reading this review. i thought it was shot beautifully as most asian cinema is. it relies heavily on imagery to tell its story much like kubrick's "2001: a space odyssey". maybe i'm just not a fan of this type of cinema. i think the main plot is ever so simple but made complicated by the story telling capabilities of kim jee-woon. in some ways it's almost its downfall, in others it makes for repeated viewing. the part that confused me was near the end of the film when everybody was in the house (set before anyone had died) and all the cast were there including the mother and the step-mother. i couldn't understand that without finding an online F.A.Q. for the movie. it was as simple as the father brought home his bit of stuff. that really should've been explained. although we're not all dumb we do like some things explained to us. the rest i understood! probably will watch it again and perhaps think more of it, but this is it for my first viewing. i'm not too impressed
  • eryri
    December 18, 2009
    eryri
    Excellent Korean horror. Loved the twist at the end.
  • guimauve0000
    December 16, 2009
    guimauve0000
    A Korean Horror thriller that you will need to see more then once
  • ElCochran90
    December 16, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Remarkably formulaic, but it has the right to be called one of the scariest movies ever made... literally. The experience in the cinema was unforgettable. Some clichés are intentionally used in an effective way and some others are kicked out of the house. Ji-woon Kim is aware tha...( read more)t what we need sometimes are some good heart attacks throughout, adding thought-provoking drama in the process. A good horror film.

    75/100
  • tiddlesdez
    December 8, 2009
    tiddlesdez
    I love this movie! Very smart and sad, great acting too. XD
  • EddieGunner
    November 26, 2009
    EddieGunner
    very slow start of movie on moments bored, but as end comes closer movie becomes more more interesting... like most of horrors from japans it's spooky and darky all in all decent movie
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