Review: A Tale of Two Sisters
Blu-ray: A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Written and directed by Jee-woon Kim, this Korean drama/mystery/horror tale follows Su-mi (Lim Soo-jung), a young girl recently released from a mental institution, who returns home with her father and younger sister Su-yeon (Moon Geun-young) and has to face her stepmother who is acting very strangely towards her…not to mention haunting visions that she has around the family home.
Tugging on your heartstrings while at the same time making goosebumps appear, the twisting narrative has you constantly trying to second guess what will happen next, only to reveal narrative tidbits which then has you reevaluating where everything is leading to.
A visual treat, this blu-ray release highlights the stylish cinematography by Mo-gae Lee, which accentuates the changing mood of each scene and draws attention to the detailed set design.
Lim Soo-jung is captivating in the lead role, taking you with her as her character experiences frequent emotional trauma and upset. This definitely isn’t a ‘feel good’ movie.
This is a movie that warrants repeat viewing, as initially confusing scenes are suddenly made clearer when watching once again. Which also applies to the bountiful and in-depth special features, where 3 commentary tracks are just the starting point to learn all you could ever want to about A Tale of Two Sisters.
A superb release of a hauntingly chilling movie, this is a worthy addition to anyones collection.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 and DTS 2.0 audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Brand-new Audio commentary by Korean Cinema historian Pierce Conran & critic James Marsh
- Audio commentary by writer/director Kim Jee-woon, lighting cameraman Oh Seung-chul and cinematographer Lee Mo-gae
- Audio commentary by writer/director Kim Jee-woon and cast members Im Soo-jung and Moon Geun-young
- Always on the Move: The Dynamic Camera and Spaces of Master Stylist Kim Jee-woon, a brand-new visual essay by Korean Cinema historian Pierce Conran
- Spirits of the Peninsula: Folklore in Korean Cinema, a brand-new visual essay by cultural historian Shawn Morrisey
- Imaginary Beasts: Memory, Trauma & the Uncanny in A Tale of Two Sisters, a brand-new visual essay by genre historian and critic Kat Ellinger
- Behind the Scenes, an archival featurette shot during filming
- Outtakes, archival footage from set
- Production Design, archival featurette about the intricate look of the sets
- Music Score, archival featurette
- CGI, an archival featurette
- Creating the Poster, an archival featurette about the iconic original poster
- Cast Interviews, archival interviews with Kim Kab-su (Father), Yeom Jung-a (Stepmother), Im Soo-jung (Su-mi), and Moon Geun-young (Su-yeon)
- Deleted scenes with director’s commentary
- Director’s analysis, an archival featurette in which Kim Jee-woon discusses the complexity and ambiguities contained within the film and why they were important to him
- Director’s thoughts on horror, an archival featurette in which Kim Jee-woon discusses his feelings about the horror genre
- Psychiatrist’s Perspective, an archival featurette exploring the psychological reality behind the story of the film
- Theatrical Trailer
- Stills galleries
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by critics Stacie Ponder and Anya Stanley, plus a new translation of the original Korean folktale that inspired the film.
A Tale of Two Sisters is released 16th August 2021.
Review by Dave from a disc kindly supplied by Arrow Films via Fetch Publicity.
