A Tale of Two Sisters (March 26/05)

A Tale of Two Sisters is yet another pointless, interminably paced Asian horror flick that's inexplicably garnered heaps of praise and adulation, despite the fact that the film just isn't all that good. Though writer/director Ji-woon Kim does a nice job of infusing the movie with a distinctive sense of mood, the filmmaker completely fails to give us characters worth caring about or a plot worth following. As a result, A Tale of Two Sisters comes off as an endurance test more than anything else, primarily because the viewer isn't given a single reason to remain invested in the storyline.

The plot - which becomes increasingly incomprehensible as the film progresses - follows two teenaged sisters as they return to their father's palatial estate, where he's living with his new wife, following the death of the sisters' birth mother. It's not long before strange things start to happen, mostly involving the hijinks of an apparition who seems to have some kind of a grudge against the female inhabitants of the house.

There's no denying that A Tale of Two Sisters looks great; Kim, along with cinematographer Mo-gae Lee, injects the film with a distinct, creepy sort of vibe. And given that virtually the entire movie takes place within the walls of this expansive mansion, Lee and Kim do a nice job of keeping the film's look intriguing throughout (it quickly becomes apparent that the visuals are just about the only positive aspect of the movie).

The primary problem here, then, is a complete and utter lack of interesting characters - something that's exacerbated by the lackluster performances that are either far too subdued or laughably over-the-top. Because neither of these sisters are developed beyond the superficial - ie one of them is shy and mousy, while the other isn't afraid of confrontations - it's difficult to sympathize with the pair once bad things start to happen. Worse yet, Kim refuses to divulge more than absolutely necessary regarding the spirits that are plaguing these characters, resulting in a conclusion that's infuriatingly vague.

It's clear that fans of Asian horror will probably dig this, but the fact that it's so similar to virtually every other film in this genre makes it a derivative annoyance right from the get-go.