A Tale of Two Sisters
| A Tale of Two Sisters | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Hangul | , |
| Hanja | , |
| Revised Romanization | Janghwa, Hongryeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Changhwa, Hongnyŏn |
| Directed by | Kim Jee-woon |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Kim Jee-woon |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
| Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae |
| Edited by | Ko Im-pyo |
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Production
company |
B.O.M. Film Productions Co.
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| Distributed by |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | $3.7 million |
| Box office | $1 million |
A Tale of Two Sisters (Hangul: 장화, 홍련; RR: Janghwa, Hongryeon; lit. "Rose Flower, Red Lotus") is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror-thriller drama film written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. The film is inspired by a Joseon Dynasty era folktale entitled Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, which has been adapted to film several times. The plot focuses on a recently released patient from a mental institution who returns home with her sister, only to face disturbing events between her stepmother and the ghosts haunting their house- all of which are connected to a dark past in the family's history.
The film opened to very positive reviews from critics and won Best Picture at the 2004 Fantasporto Film Festival. It is both the highest-grossing Korean horror film and the first to be screened in American theatres. An American remake titled The Uninvited was released in 2009 to largely negative reviews.
A teenage girl, Su-mi, is being treated for shock and psychosis in a mental institution. The doctor questions her about the day that led her to be institutionalised but she refuses to answer. Later, Su-mi returns home to her family's secluded estate in the countryside with her father and her younger sister Su-yeon. At a family dinner, their cold and distant stepmother, Eun-joo, who constantly requires medication after every meal, announces that their uncle and his wife will arrive tomorrow night for a dinner party. The sisters are disappointed with the announcement and leave the dinner table.
Later in the night, Eun-joo sleeps with the father but he becomes uncomfortable and sleeps in the living room downstairs. Su-yeon hears strange noises in her bedroom and goes to Su-mi for protection. However, Su-mi experiences a terrifying nightmare where the ghost of her biological mother climbs on top of her bed with blood pouring down her legs. Afterwards, all of the women in the family discover that their periods have occurred at the same time.
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