The Friday Night Fright: A Tale of Two Sisters
Two thirds of the way through this atmospheric Korean horror I was struck by a feeling that I’d seen something similar and not too long ago at that. It took a few minutes for the old grey matter to make the connection, the fact that the two films, at first glance, wouldn’t seem to have much in common no doubt slowing it down some, but it finally produced the answer - Spider. “What could David Cronenberg’s drama about a schizophrenic man have in common with A Tale of Two Sisters?” you may be thinking…or possibly “Ian’s finally cracked up, better call the men in white coats”. Before you make a booking for me in a padded room let me explain…
Both films chuck you in at the deep end and expect you to swim, by which I mean they don’t go the usual route of explaining who everyone is, how they got where they are and, well, basically setting the scene for what’s to come. It’s up to the viewer to figure things out; this of course requires the use of something often neglected by modern moviemakers - a brain. All too often these days we are encouraged to “leave your brain at home” when paying a visit to the cinema, as this will impair our enjoyment of the movie, so it’s nice to watch a film every now and then that doesn’t require a lobotomy to get the most out of it.
Sorry, I digress. So we have to think, but both films aren’t exactly forthcoming with information. For about the first half an hour there’s very little dialogue in either film, this has two potential effects - a) those who did not disengage their wits before viewing are drawn more tightly into the film, as they try and put the pieces together from what clues they can gleam or b) those who’ve shut down all cognitive thought either on a temporary basis or a more permanent shut down (this latter group are usually referred to as “Michal Bay fans”) enter a deep sleep that may resemble a coma but is not really a cause for concern.
I think I digressed again. Anyway we’re now getting down to the meat of this little comparison, for as we piece things together it becomes clear that both films are being told from the somewhat questionable perspective of a mentally disturbed individual. Can we trust any of what we’re seeing? As the films progress the similarities grow with both featuring a tragic final act, where all is revealed in truly heartbreaking fashion.
Cronenberg’s film is a drama (with a touch of mystery) while A Tale of Two Sisters is a horror film, (with some extremely creepy moments) but both deal with a dysfunctional family unit. Even without its more supernatural elements A Tale of Two Sisters would be an excellent film, and probably have won more acclaim from mainstream critics. As it is, it functions as both a drama, dissecting repressed Korean family life, and also as one of the scariest Asian horrors I’ve seen.
The inevitable dumbed down Hollywood version is on the way, so you’ll be able to leave your brain at home again. Just make sure you remember where you put it, you never know when you might need it again.
Oh and the dig at Michael Bay fans was a joke - I actually enjoyed Transformers and even took my brain with me (didn’t really need it but I had it with me just in case).
