A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

Su-mi (Su-Jeong Lim) and Su-Yeon (Geun-Yeong Mun), two sisters with a far from easy life, after a period spent in a psychiatric clinic, return home accompanied by their father who is practically an absent and detached figure in their lives. In the luxurious villa, they will also be awaited by their stepmother Eun-Joo, a good housewife and very well-groomed, but whom the girls have never accepted, given her uncourteous manners towards them. The young women, moreover, have not yet learned of the tragic death of their real mother. To top it all off, there is a rather mysterious presence that is only visible to the young Su-Yeon. But is everything so simple? This ghost-story, produced in South Korea, is tragic, anguishing, and like all Eastern films, it is almost unbearably slow. Throughout the viewing, tension is certainly not lacking, nor are the chilling moments. It is a psychological horror capable of gluing the viewer to the chair and, at times, making them jump. Notable is the ability to make a 115-minute film, shot almost entirely in a single house and with only four actors, without boring the viewer. The director wanted to use colors that had not yet appeared in a Korean film, and the result was excellent, successfully reproducing warm and delicate colors. The original title "Janghwa, Hongryeon" is the name of the ancient legend from which the film takes inspiration, and it translates to "Rose Flower, Red Lotus." "Two Sisters" was not the first film to bring this legend to the screen; there were others before, such as the first cinematic adaptation dating back to 1925. The conclusion of this film is left to the viewer; there is no classic ending where everything is explained rationally, so those watching must only listen and see to understand. One could therefore discuss endlessly which conclusion is right or wrong since everyone has their own ideas and a way of interpreting the facts. In any case, to understand the story better, watching the film only once is not enough; a second viewing is highly recommended. Highly recommended!