A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) Janghwa, Hongryeon (original title)

Director:

Jee-woon Kim

Writer:

Jee-woon Kim (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 June 2003 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Our sorrow was conceived long before our birth

Plot:

A family is haunted by the tragedies of deaths within the family.

Plot Keywords:

Stepmother | Tragedy | Death | Ghost | Terrorist

Awards:

11 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kap-su Kim	...	Bae Moo-hyeon (Father)
Jung-ah Yum	...	Eun-joo (Stepmother)
Su-jeong Lim	...	Bae Soo-mi (Janghwa)
Geun-Young Moon	...	Bae Soo-yeon (Hongryeon)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seung-bi Lee	...	Mi-hee

Directed by
Jee-woon Kim

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jee-woon Kim		screenplay

Produced by
Jae-Won Choi	....	executive producer
Jeong-wan Oh	....	producer
Jung-Wan Oh	....	executive producer
Ki-min Oh	....	producer (as Oh Gi-Min)

Original Music by
Byung-woo Lee

Cinematography by
Mo-gae Lee

Film Editing by
Hyeon-mi Lee

Art Direction by
Geun-hyeon Jo

Costume Design by
Soo-Kyung Ok

Production Companies

• B.O.M. Film Productions Co.
• Masulpiri Films

Distributors

• Chungeorahm Film (2003) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Bir Film (????) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• 3L Filmverleih (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Arti Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (????) (France) (theatrical)
• Comstock (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Karma Films (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Medusa Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Tartan Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Tartan (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tartan (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Zima Entertainment (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Aztec International Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• CDK Entertainment (2008) (Greece) (all media)
• Cineclick Asia (worldwide)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Metro DVD (????) (South Korea) (DVD)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Palisades Tartan (2003) (USA) (all media)
• Palisades-Tartan Acquisitions (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• TLA Releasing (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Tartan Video USA (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Tartan Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Visionary Thinking (2004) (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (all media)
• Visionary Thinking (2004) (Serbia and Montenegro) (all media)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dominion3 Public Relations  unit publicity

Also Known As:

"Janghwa, Hongryeon" - South Korea (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and disturbing images

Runtime:

Korea:115 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:PG-12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Ireland:16 (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) (2005) | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Peru:18 | Mexico:B15 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Yusin-ri, Yureo-myeon, Boseong-gun, Jeollanamdo, South Korea

Company:

B.O.M. Film Productions Co.

Trivia:

In the original story, the sisters' names are Janghwa and Hongryeon (Rose Flower and Red Lotus). In the movie, they are Su-mi and Su-yeon (still mean Rose and Lotus).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the hospital scenes, there is no scar on the back of Su-mi's hand.

Quotes:

Mi-hee:There was a girl under the kitchen sink.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Story of Jang-hwa and Heung-ryeon (1956)

You MUST see this!!!

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 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.