A Tale Of Two Sisters: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The South-Korean Film

A Tale Of Two Sisters is unlike most conventional horror films. Although it does have its share of menacing jump scares, it has harrowing drama and psychological thrills in equal measure. Because of its well-rounded approach and emotionally immersive atmosphere, it’s unsurprising that it is considered to be among the best horror films by many.

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Reminiscing and rummaging through the memories and psychology of its characters, A Tale Of Two Sisters tells the story of a family suffering from extreme grief and remorse. With a slow-burn pace, it merges reality with the supernatural and heavily relies on ambiguity to rouse viewers. Even beyond its cinematic appeal, there are several aspects of the film that beg admiration.

The Movie Has A Hollywood Remake

A Tale of Two Sisters has an American remake that premiered in 2009 and was directed by the Guard Brothers. Starring Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks, the remake was initially intended to have the same title as the original South Korean film. However, it was later changed to The Uninvited.

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One of the only minor differences between the two films is the age difference between their titular sister characters. In the original, Su-mi is older than her sister Su-yeon. In the remake, the roles of the two sisters are reversed.

The Movie Is Inspired By A Renowned Korean Folktale

The inspiration behind A Tale of Two Sisters is a Korean folktale titled Janghwa Heungryeonjeon. In the past, there have been several adaptations of Janghwa Heungryeonjeon but among all of these, A Tale of Two Sisters is the only project that’s completely original and not a remake of the others.

In the original folktale, the names of the two pivotal sisters are Janghwa and Hongryeon, which mean Rose Flower and Red Lotus respectively. Similarly in the movie, the names of the sisters, Su-mi and Su-yeon, translate to Rose and Lotus.

Actress Soo-jung Lim (Su-mi) Auditioned For The Role Of Su-yeon

Soo-jung Lim, who plays the role of the elder sister Su-mi, had initially been auditioned to play Su-yeon. Even the director, Jee-woon Kim, wanted her to play the younger sister and Jun Ji-Hyun to play Su-mi. However, Jun was terrified by Su-mi’s part in the script, due to which the roles of the two actresses were swapped.

Strangely, something very similar happened during the casting process of the Hollywood remake. Emily Browning had auditioned for the role of Alex but was later cast as Anna.

The Opening Scene Was Intentionally Left Ambiguous

In the opening scene, a doctor at a mental institution interviews Su-mi and asks her if she has any memories of “the day.” With what follows, the film shows Su-mi returning home after spending a long time in a mental institution.

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The creators of the film intentionally maintained the ambiguity of the opening scene. It is not revealed whether it’s a flashback where Su-mi was admitted after her mother’s death or a flashforward where Su-mi gets readmitted after her mental illness’s relapse.

The Film Has An Even Darker Extended Ending

Towards the end of the film, Su-mi’s sister’s ghost kills Eun-joo, and for once, Su-mi feels fulfilled about getting the revenge she wanted from her stepmother.

However, the original extended ending of the film is entirely different. In the alternate climax, Su-mi commits suicide by overdosing on her pills and hopes that she will be able to reunite with her dead mother and sister. Considered too depressing, this ending was later cut out.

It Is The Highest Grossing Korean Horror Movie Of All Time

Soon after its release in 2003, A Tale of Two Sisters became the highest-grossing Korean horror movie of all time. Moreover, it was also the first Korean horror movie to be screened in American theatres.

A Tale of Two Sisters has grossed $1,045,252 worldwide since its release and is also listed among Steven Jay Schneider’s 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Jordan Peele’s Us Is Influenced By A Tale of Two Sisters

Horror hounds might have noticed that there are several parallels between Us and A Tale of Two Sisters. For starters, both films portray the consequences of terrible things that people unknowingly do to themselves and the ones around them. Along with that, the protagonists of both act out of their repressed guilt towards their past actions.

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The evident similarities between the two are not coincidental. A Tale of Two Sisters was actually among the ten films that Jordan Peele had asked Lupita Nyong’o and other cast members of Us to watch in order to have “a shared language.”

The Original Script Had A Major Plot Hole

The original script of the movie involved an arc where Su-mi attempts to kill her stepmother, Eun-joo, by poisoning her medicine bottle. However, this plot point contradicts the movie’s central twist, which reveals that Eun-joo is one of Su-mi’s personality states.

So by poisoning her stepmother, Su-mi is poisoning no one but herself. This scene was dropped from the final script because of the contradicting ideas it brings to the table.

The Characters Of The Film Are Color Coded

Although this could be unintentional, the shades of colors worn by the characters of the film are a reflection of the nature of their roles. Su-yeon usually wears lighter colors while Su-mi can be seen in brighter ones. Eun-joo, who has an antagonistic role, often sports richer and darker shades of glossy fabrics.

When it comes to Moo-hyeon, the father, he usually wears dull colors as it was his actions that led to Su-yeon’s death and Su-mi’s mental breakdown.

The Big Reveal Is Foreshadowed Several Times

The opening scene—among many others—foreshadows the movie’s ending. When Su-mi’s doctor asks her who she thinks she is, it is a subtle clue that she suffers from a dissociative personality disorder.

Other than that,  everything from Su-yeon’s fear of the closet to Eun-ju’s medication is a spoiler for the movie’s grand reveal. However, these details can only be noticed after multiple viewings.

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