Discuss A Tale of Two Sisters
Discuss → Movies → A Tale of Two Sisters → General
opiemar's Explanation of a Masterpiece
posted by Infected By EliSTAFFMOD on February 10, 2017 at 2:18 PM
I'm posting this here for posterity.
I do not agree with everything opeimar has to say on this film but his posts generated quite a lot of discussion on IMDB. I hope it will here, too. Some minor formatting issues needed attention as there were some invalid characters used (I hope I got them all) including having to use letters as bullets as the original numbers started again from "1" for each post.
opeimar
This film is a brilliant masterpiece. While most viewers are confused after the first viewing, as was I, when viewed again, the pieces start coming together, moving immediately from a confusing set of jumbled up scenes, to an absolutely brilliant work of art. I will assure you, if you take the time to read this post, your questions will be answered, and your confusion will turn to awe. Furthermore, I will say that every scene, every action in the film has significance.. If anything is left unanswered here, please feel free to post your question. I've seen this film at least 15 times now; I love it, understand it, and believe I can offer a credible explanation to most any question. (such as, what the hec was the seizure scene about? Why does Su-mi look oddly at the duplicate journal on the desk and dresses in the closet? What's up with the bloody fish in the fridge? What really happened to the Step-mom in the end? To name a few)
(Major Spoilers Ahead)
To begin with, one must first understand, that from the opening scene, until the scene near the end where Eun-joo, (the step-mother), arrives at the house in a gray suit, the only people in the house were Su-mi, and her father. (Excepting a brief dinner visit by the couple). Su-mi's sister Su-yeon, and her step-mother Eun-joo were existent only in Su-mi's mind. However, there are a few scenes where we see the ghosts of Su-yeon and her mother.
The next thing one must understand is that this film, while being a horror film, is more so a psychological thriller and a drama. It is a story of incredible regret, and the inability to cope with guilt and remorse. When the viewer realizes for the first time what is really going on, their heart has no choice but to break for Su-mi.
Through later flashbacks, we are led to believe that the girls' mother suffered some illness or depression, requiring the presence in the home of Eun-joo, who seems to be a nurse of some sort (further evidenced by some of the pictures). It is rather subjective here, but either she was having an affair with the father, or perhaps Su-mi just believed that she was. In either case, the flashbacks, which I believe to be factual and reality, indicate a great deal of animosity and bitterness between Eun-joo and Su-mi. The mother commits suicide, and Su-yeon, finding her, panics, pulling the wardrobe over and is crushed. Su-mi, hearing this, begins to investigate but allows her bitter feelings for Eun-joo to override her concern for what she heard. Eun-joo, realizing this, drops a line telling her that she will regret it, knowing full well how deep this will cut later, as she knows Su-yeon is dying at that very moment. Upon realizing what has happened, Su-mi has a mental and emotional collapse. She is committed to a mental hospital for a period of time, and upon being released, we find ourselves at the movie's beginning.
Su-yeon was everything to Su-mi, yet she wasn't there for her when she needed her the most. And what's worse, she wasn't there because she chose to embrace her hatred for Eun-joo instead. Finding that, in the real world, she was incapable of coping with the tremendous degree of regret and guilt, Su-mi subconsciously looks for a way to escape the pain. One could say that she tries a form of self-induced psychological therapy. First she creates Su-yeon, so she can have her back and "be there for her". Of course, this required that she have someone to protect her from, therefore, she also creates Eun-joo. It is also interesting to note that she can play out the part of any of the three, while imagining the other two. Su-mi starts her therapy by creating situations where she can "Be there" for here sister. She comforts her when things go bump in the night. She helps her with her first period. (slight give-a-way when all 3 have their period at the same time). And when the girls leave the table after the confrontation with Eun-joo, Su-mi reassures Su-yeon that she will be there for her. All situations that take place in Su-mi's mind, created to give her a second chance.
Finding herself still under the weight of guilt and remorse, Su-mi increases the therapy. She creates situations of a more serious nature. She imagines Su-yeon having bruised arms, and being locked in the wardrobe. This gives her opportunities to be there for her sister in situations that are far more desperate. Unfortunately, the therapy's effectiveness is slipping, as indicated by the fact that while she did rescue Su-yeon from the wardrobe, it was not in a timely manner. She actually repeats this scene numerous times, as indicated when she told her father, "She KEEPS locking Su-yeon in the closet". At this point, Daddy drops the bomb, reminding Su-mi that Su-yeon is dead.
Her therapy threatened, Su-mi panics, as she can't bear to return to reality, for it is far to painful. Making one last frantic attempt, she turns the level of self-induced therapy all the way up. Now she creates extreme situations, ones of life and death; situations requiring Su-mi to "be there for her sister when she needed her the most". She imagines Su-yeon in a bag, bloody, beaten nearly to death. The guilt and remorse, however, are greater than the therapy. This is exemplified by the fact that, while Su-yeon is apparently still moving, she is all but dead, and Su-mi is all but too late. Su-mi is totally falling apart now. She becomes desperate, even injuring herself. Guilt and remorse are closing in for the kill. Next we find Su-mi in the scene that really broke me. She's lying on her back, with Eun-joo hovering above (now the symbol of the guilt and remorse that so relentlessly chases her). Realizing the futility of her actions, Su-mi says "Do you know what's really scary? You want to forget something. Totally wipe it off your mind. But you never can. It can't go away, you see. And... and it follows you around like a ghost." It is at this point that Su-mi realizes that she has only one cure, only one way to escape this pain....death. For the first time since early on in the film, we see peace and even a slight smile on her face, as she fully expects to die, thus not hurt any more.
Not so, as the father now arrives home, bringing the real Eun-joo with him...another shocking revelation to Su-mi, who at this point was back in "Eun-joo mode" and sitting on the couch. Su-mi returns to the hospital, while Eun-joo gets to meet the ghost of Su-yeon, or does she?
Now find below some common questions.
A. WHAT'S WITH THE SEIZURE BY THE DINNER GUEST THAT SEEMED SO OUT OF PLACE? It is not, I repeat NOT, a seizure, such as an epileptic would have. First of all, if she were in fact epileptic, her husband would have known this, but he didn't. This is obvious by the look on his face, and the fact that they tried to give her medication. Web MD states that you never give anything by mouth to someone having a seizure, just help him or her to the floor, and move objects away. So, what was it? What was taking place was a supernatural manifestation of Su-yeon's ghost, reenacting Su-yeon's death. Notice the similarities. First, the camera deliberately focuses on the hand trimmers here, and in the scene where Su-yeon is crushed, obviously pointing the two incidents to each other. Also she doesn't just fall over, but slams to the floor, as if being thrown down, as Su-yeon was by the wardrobe. And, she panics, gasps for air, and throws up, all things Su-yeon was likely to have done when she was crushed. This explanation is also supported by the fact that Su-yeon's ghost is present at the scene, under the sink.
B. WHAT'S UP WITH THE BLOODY FISH IN THE FRIDGE? As stated earlier, this is a story of incredible guilt and remorse. Su-mi feels that it is her fault her sister died, because she wasn't there for her. She feels like she has Su-yeon's blood on her hands. Notice how many times this is reflected upon. At the beginning, we find a psychiatrist, intently washing his hands before an interview?? This was a hint as to what the story was going to be about...ridding one's self of feelings of guilt, similar to Pilot washing his hands after he gave Jesus over to be crucified. Handling the fish seems strange; however it causes Su-mi to have blood on her hands. Likewise, when she rose from bed prior to the scene concerning the menstrual periods, she again had blood on her hands. During Su-mi's dream, the camera tightly focuses on her bloody hand twice. Remember that these were not real scenes, but ones taking place in Su-mi's mind. Her mind refuses to let her off the hook, constantly reminding her that she is to blame for her sister's death, relentlessly telling her that Su-yeon's blood is on her hands. Even when she imagined being in a fierce fight with Eun-joo, she stabs herself, of all places, in the hand, once again placing "blood on her hands". Finally, when her father puts her on the couch, again the camera deliberately focuses on their hands. As he pulls his hand away, not only does Su-mi have blood on her hand, but so does he. How fitting.
C. WHEN SU-MI FIRST ENTERS THE ROOM IN THE BEGINNING, WHY DOES SHE LOOK SO BEWILDERED AT THE JOURNAL AND THE DRESSES IN HER CLOSET? (All of which were alike, either of only two colors). Su-mi is obviously a very troubled and confused girl. She is taking on quite a task trying to remove her guilt by creating this illusionary world. And, she doesn't just do the scenes once. It's a repeated thing, as she tries to find a way to escape the pain. As discussed before, the scenario of Su-yeon being locked in the closet happened several times. It is reasonable to assume that she repeated most if not all the scenarios, until they no longer worked, whereby she moved to the next stage. Being confused, she would forget that she had been here before, that she had acted out this scene several times, but her mind would remember bits and pieces, such as she had already brought the journal into the room on a previous enactment. Likewise, the dresses symbolize the same thing; she has been here many times before.
D. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TARP COVERED MOUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. Quite frankly, nothing. It's a matter of culture. This is a common site in rural farming areas of South Korea, during harvest. I certainly didn't know this myself, and actually checked it out, frame by frame, trying to figure it out. Then I read somewhere, an explanation by someone originally from South Korea, who stated that this was the case. It would be kind of like someone from another country watching an American film and seeing for example, two wooden crosses on the side of the road. Not understanding our culture or customs, they may think it's pertinent to the film, when in truth, it represents a fatal accident in real life, having nothing to do with the movie.
E. WHAT IS THE CONFUSING DINNER CONVERSATION ABOUT, WHERE THE MALE GUEST BECOMES IRRIATED WITH EUN-JOO? The male guest is Eun-joo's brother. However, the Eun-joo at the dinner table is actually Su-mi acting out her "Eun-joo" personality. For the personality to work, she must know her brother, and have memories of their childhood, therefore she starts telling childhood stories of when they were growing up. Since, in reality, this is Su-mi, the memories are fictitious. Instead of seeing it from Su-mi's (in Eun-joo mode) perspective, which is what is shown in this scene, look at it from the young man's perspective. He sees Su-mi, not Eun-joo, who is telling stories of their childhood, as if she is his sister; memories of events that never took place. He is thinking, "Girl, you are totally messed up".
F. WHAT'S DOES THE FIRST BEDROOM HORROR SCENE MEAN? The first dream is just a dream brought on by all the mixed up thoughts of Su-mi. The subsequent one, while appearing to be a dream, is not just a simple dream, but one brought on by the ghost of her mother. But why would she haunt Su-mi? Well, she is very displeased with the thought of her daughter pretending to be this "other woman" that destroyed their home, and perhaps forced her to suicide, and allowed her daughter to die. Standing over Su-mi, she has blood running down her leg, then a hand. In a creepy way, she is symbolizing childbirth, but hey, she is a ghost. The purpose is to say, "What do you think you're doing, How could you presume to be this other woman that I hate. You're my daughter, my flesh and blood, I GAVE BIRTH TO YOU! Snap out of it".
G. WHEN EUN-JOO'S SISTER-IN-LAW WAS ON THE FLOOR HAVING HER LITTLE SU-YEON EXPERIENCE, WAS THERE ANY SPECIFIC REASON WHY THE GHOST OF SU-YEON WAS UNDER THE SINK LOOKING DECOMPOSED OR BURNT? Actually, being a two-part question, I'll address as such. First, concerning the significance of the placement in this scene, it would seem kind of strange at first, but consider this. As stated above, Su-yeon in causing a supernatural manifestation of herself and her death to take place here through Mi-hee, (the sister-in-law). I don't believe that it is arbitrary, or haphazard that she is under the sink. This is an extremely cramped, confined space, where physically she really couldn't fit, much the same as the extremely cramped confined space she died in, and at that very moment, is re-enacting through Mi-hee.. Now, as for her appearance, this is dried blood, rather than burnt flesh, as there is no other reference that would point to burning. She is shown this way for two reasons. The first was for shock effect. Let's face it, can anyone imagine a more innocent, humble face that Su-yeon? I can't. However, this sweet face would hardly serve the purpose in this scene, therefore, they show her bloody, or decayed for the shock effect. The second reason for her appearance is to disguises her identity, as we are not to know yet that Su-yeon is dead.
H. WHY DO THE BROTHER AND MI-HEE COME OVER FOR DINNER WITHOUT STEPMUM BEING THERE? Well, as shown from the flashbacks, there is quite a bit of animosity between Su-mi and Eun-joo, and the father knows this. (Even if the affair was in Su-mi's mind, Su-mi still hates Eun-joo) Because of this, during the phone call the father told the real Eun-joo that it wouldn't be good for her to come up right now. However, he felt that Su-mi could benefit from some social interaction
I. DOES THE STEPMOM DIE AFTER SU-YEON'S GHOST COMES OUT OF THE WARDROBE? While experiencing this incredible film, the viewer is mercilessly led into the troubled mind of this young girl, while simultaneously being lead through the dark heart of this haunted house. Subsequently, they find themselves in a delightfully frustrating situation. Was a particular scene real, or was it not? Was it psychological or supernatural? In short, no, Eun-joo doesn't die. This whole scene is once again in Su-mi's mind. Su-mi was robbed of her fantasy therapy of imagining herself as Su-yeon when her dad drops the reality bomb on her. She panics and starts imagining really drastic events, even to the point of stabbing herself. Next she is robbed of imagining she is Eun-joo, when the real Eun-joo shows up, and off she goes back to the psych ward. Now, not only does she not have her means of self-induced therapy, and thus her means of coping with her pain, she also feels totally defeated by this woman whom she absolutely hates, and knows allowed her sister to die. She wants vengeance against Eun-joo, but the only way to get it is to return to her imagination. She has to accept Su-yeon as dead, at least for the time being. Therefore, she envisions in her head, (and I'm sure it's very real to her), the death of Eun-joo at the hands of Su-yeon's ghost. We know this to be true for several reasons. (A) The blood seeping up from the floor is obviously reflecting on the blood seen earlier from the bloody bag. However, the bloody trail and bloody bag were in Su-mi's mind, therefore, if we are seeing evidence of the blood trail again, we must be once again in Su-mi's mind. (B) The wardrobe. Notice in this scene that the wardrobe is in Su-yeon's room. It shouldn't be there. It is downstairs now in the same room as the medicine cabinet. It really is downstairs, as the father is seen viewing it after Su-mi's stabs her hand. He must have moved it from her room after the accident. (C) The pictures. There were pictures in the frames just the day before, when the father walked into Su-yeon's bedroom and confronted Su-mi, then dropped the bomb about Su-yeon being dead. Now, in this scene, the frames are empty. Seems Su-mi finally accepts her sister as dead and gone, (for the time being anyway), thus subconsciously she imagines the picture frames barren, just as she feels. (D) Su-mi, at the hospital, turns and says "Su-yeon". She's at the hospital when she says this. The next scene, we see Eun-joo in the house, alone. Then we go back and forth from this scene, to Su-mi's flashbacks. When the "fate" scene is over, then we see Su-mi laying in the hospital, with a tear down her face. Point is, we were in her mind during all of this; the flashbacks she was remembering, and the vengeance she was desiring, all jumbled up together in this poor girls head. Dang, I hurt for her still, and I've seen this film nearly 20 times. (E) The running that Eun-joo hears. Early in the film, Su-mi imagines running in the hall as a method of awaking Su-yeon, and also herself so she can go to her own bed, in order to be there for her imaginary Su-yeon when she arrives frightened by the running, and the door creaking and slamming. All of course as a method of Su-mi's self therapy. (F) While there were hauntings, namely the bedroom scene, and the kitchen scene, the primary premise of the film up to this point has been that Su-mi lives in a delusional world where she imaginations what she needs to serve her purpose. Throughout the film, she imagines increasingly serious situations where she can "be there" for her sister, in order for her to cope with the guilt and remorse of not being there when she needed to be. This is how she has come to deal with her trauma. Now, in the hospital once again, she's faced with a new challenge; "How can I enact revenge, (justice), on this woman who now holds my arm and pretends she cares, as father stands watching?" She faces this challenge the same way she faced the other; she imagines what she desires. (G) As "yurichar" points out on another post, this "fate" scene takes place at night, however, when over, we immediately see Su-mi in hospital, but it"s daytime. This strongly indicates that Su-mi was imagining, (wishing), Eun-joo's ghostly death. Personally for me, while subjectivity is certainly permissible here, the notion of this poor girl, stuck in the hospital, still living in a delusional world, and still trying to imagine her way out of her problems, is so sad. It gives the film a much deeper sense of feeling than just knowing that Eun-joo got what was coming to her.
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Reply by Infected By Eli
on February 10, 2017 at 2:25 PM
(Continued)
J. KNOWING THAT IN THE KITCHEN SCENE SU-YEON IS A GHOST, AND IN THE "EUN-JOO FATE" SCENE SHE IS IN SU-MI'S MIND, WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE TIME? During the remainder of the film Su-yeon is shown as a sweet innocent young girl. Now during the flashbacks, she is obviously real, not a ghost or hallucination; it is a flashback. As for the rest of the time, some viewers have tried to assert that she is a ghost that follows Su-mi around. This is not so, for many reasons, the first being that the whole premise of the film is centered on Su-mi's hallucinations as an attempt to relieve her pain and remorse. As stated in the opening above, Su-mi creates Su-yeon to have her back to protect. Then she creates Eun-joo to provide at threat to protect her from. There are many proofs to Su-yeon being a hallucination, but one of the best single proofs comes from my good friend "chris-childress-1" who points out that Su-mi's Eun-joo personality locks Su-yeon in the closet. Now if Su-yeon is a hallucination, then this of course is entirely possible, and in fact logical, as Su-mi creates a situation to rescue her sister from.. However, if Su-yeon is a ghost, how could a hallucination of Su-mi possibly control or abuse a ghost?
K. WHO WAS THE GHOST IN THE GREEN DRESS SITTING AT THE TABLE DURING THE "UNDER THE SINK" SCENE? She was wearing the same dress as Su-yeon was under the sink. We know this was Su-yeon's dress because not only does she wear it under the sink, but it can be seen in the wardrobe, prior to when Su-yeon pulls it over on herself. Some viewers believe the ghost a the table was the mother because she had long hair. Su-yeon never had long hair, even in the earlier photographs, while the mother did. However, the girl at the table in the green dress, and standing in front of the sink, and under the sink are all Su-yeon. Notice we never see them at the same time. Also notice that all three had on the green dress. The mother wouldn't fit in Su-yeon's dress. Su-yeon never had long hair, as the girl at the table, but they might be going on the myth that hair grows after death. More importantly, keeping with Asian tradition, female ghosts are usually portrayed as long haired and vengeful.
L. DURING THE FLASHBACK, WHEN THE GIRL'S REAL MOTHER IS SEEN IN HER BEDROOM, AND THEN IN THE WARDROBE, WAS THIS REAL? Once again we find ourselves in one of those subjective areas, where the director encourages us to exercise our minds, while simultaneously granting us flexibility. The mother obviously had some psychological issues going on herself, depression at the least. When she died, not only was she depicted as having hung herself in the closet, but pills were shown also, implying an overdose. The mother took her life. Now this opens up another thought, which can be taken either of two directions. Did she really die in the wardrobe? The scenes imply that she did. However, would she kill herself in a place where she knew Su-yeon of all people would find her? Could she actually hang herself in such a small place? Maybe, however, there isn't any "drop" to generate the force needed to break her neck. This might lead us to think she killed herself elsewhere, perhaps in the woods. We know the mother has some psychological issues going on. Su-mi's obviously has some of her own, as she simply imagines what she needs to solve her problems. This propensity for psychological conditions apparently hereditary, what if Su-yeon shared the trait? During the flashback, the mother wasn't there when Su-yeon fell onto the bed crying, yet Su-yeon really needed her comfort. Conveniently enough, we then see Mom comforting her. Furthermore, being subconsciously directed, Su-mi didn't have full control over what her mind created. If Su-yeon were in fact like her sister, she wouldn't have full control either, thus the wardrobe suicide scene. The details of where and how the mother died would probably have been withheld from Su-yeon, being young as she was. Therefore, she might have coupled the mystery of how and where her mother died with a childhood fear of the closet, creating the of her mother in the wardrobe.. I leave this previous paragraph in place to give the reader food for thought, however, after much discussion with some other viewers, now friends, on a sister post, I find myself preferring a different view. The mother did in fact kill herself in the wardrobe, via an overdose, the day Su-yeon found her. The sheet around her neck was used to keep her in place. The mother's body can be seen in the fallen wardrobe as Eun-joo enters the room, strongly suggesting that it was truly there. The mother comforting Su-yoen on the bed was actually the mother's ghost, unbeknownst to Su-yeon. The fact that the mother knew she would never be there for her daughter again is the source of her own tears. This same realization may have even led to the mother, as a ghost, to open the wardrobe doors a bit, knowing Su-yeon would investigate, and as a result die. She would rather have her daughter with her, than for her to be left in this miserable setting without her.
M. WAS STEMMUM JUST A COLLEAGUE OF DAD'S TENDING TO A SICK MOTHER? OR, WAS SHE IN FACT HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH THE FATHER? She was definitely a colleague, as shown in the pictures. From the flashbacks, and the pictures, we can see she was in the home regularly also. I actually looked back, in slow motion, at the photographs, especially when the FATHER looked at them. I almost expected Eun-joo not to be BESIDE the father in the family pictures when HE viewed them, which would strongly imply that the whole affair thing was in Su-mi's head. However that was not the case. The reality of the affair may be somewhat subjective, however I believe that it happened.. Here are a couple reasons why. To me, for the most part flashbacks are represented as factual. In those, the uncle and Mi-hee were there for dinner. This wouldn't likely have happened if Eun-joo was just the house nurse. Also Eun-joo wouldn't have shown such animosity, much less allow Su-yeon to die, if she were simply the house nurse.
N. IN SU-MI'S DREAM WITH THE WOODS BEHIND THE HOUSE, THERE IS A GLIMPSE OF A GIRL WITH LONG HAIR (LOOKING AT HER HANDS). WHO IS SHE? This is Su-yeon, at an earlier time. Credit given to Chris-Childres for discovering that Su-mi, while dreaming, was calling Su-yoen's name. This isn't shown in the Tartan subtitles, but I checked a Thai.version that I also own, and it is subtitled there. Su-mi says "Su-yeon, go away" Through discussion with Chris, some other viewer friends, and myself on a sister post here, I believe we have a good interpretation of the dream's meaning. The situation is urgent; Su-yeon is running, obviously in a hurry to reach something. Su-mi, lying in bed, is trying to tell her to stay away. We see next the mother, and as Su-yoen grabs her arm, she gets bloody. The meaning? Reflect now on Su-yeon's death. Finding her mother's body, Su-yeon desperately and hopelessly tries to save her, resulting in her own death. In the dream, Su-mi is trying to tell her sister to stay away from her mother, knowing the resultant contact will bring her death. Just as Su-yeon was desperate at the wardrobe, she is desperate in the dream, (running), to save her mother. And, just as contact with her mother's body at the wardrobe brought her death, Su-yeon's contact with her mother's arm draws back blood, symbolic of her death.
O. WAS EUN-JOO REALLY CRUEL ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY LET SU-YEON DIE? Eun-joo supposedly has moved in and set up camp, breaking up this family. She would rather be accepted by the daughters, as it would make her little stolen life peachy. However, the girls won't have it, and won't accept her. This throws a wrench into her plans. Su-mi especially despises her. When Eun-joo enters Su-yeon's bedroom, she considers this accident as an opportunity to rid herself of half, (or probably 1/3) of her problem. She leaves with this thought in mind, but she just is not quite that cold, therefore, she reconsiders. As she starts to return to the bedroom, the other 2/3's of her problem comes out of her room. The bitter words from Su-mi are enough to cause her to reconsider again. Eun-joo justifies it to herself by thinking, "O.K., fine, you asked for it". She is fed up with Su-mi, and despises her so much for not accepting her into their home and lives. This could spoil her happy plans. She hates Su-mi so much by this time that she is willing to let Su-yeon die, just to create the emotionally fatal blow that she knows Su-mi will receive. She even spices it up by telling her that she will regret this moment. She knows that this will destroy Su-mi, and it does.
P. WHAT WAS THE ITEM ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THE SINK THAT EUN-JOO ATTEMPTED TO PICK UP? The item on the floor is Su-yeon's hairpin. She can be seen wearing it in the flashback scene as she empties her rice bowl into the sink. This further proves that it is in fact Su-yeon under the sink. (As to why she's under the sink, refer to question #G).
Q. THE FATHER WAS SHOWN IN BED WITH HIS DAUGHTER; WAS THERE ANYTHING INAPPROPRIAT GOING ON BETWEEN THEM? The father lies down with what appears at first to be Eun-joo. However, we see later that it is in fact Su-mi, and of course the father knows this. Being inappropriate, he goes downstairs after a while to sleep on the couch. But only after lying there a moment, clothed, respectfully reminiscing of something that he knows he has lost-an affectionate father/daughter relationship. (Again, I mean this in a respectful way) Knowing that it would be inappropriate to sleep there with her, he soon gets up to sleep downstairs.
R. IN THE FINAL SCENE, AS SU-MI WALKS AWAY FROM THE HOUSE, SHE TURNS AROUND. WHY? The fact that she hesitates shows that Su-mi knows she SHOULD be concerned for her sister. This is why she goes through so much trauma, beating herself up with guilt. She willingly chose to indulge in her bitter feelings towards Eun-joo rather than to be concerned for her sister, and she knows this. The noise she heard from Su-yeon's room is quickly forgotten during the argument. She remembers this noise again outside. Concerned, she hesitates, considering returning. However, she decides that returning isn't worth dealing with Eun-joo again. Furthermore, she took so much pride in telling Eun-joo that "Anywhere would be better than being here with you". To return would nullify Su-mi's cutting statement to Eun-joo. This decision will never leave her. Su-mi doesn't know if Su-yeon died before she came out of her room, or while she was on the stairs arguing, or after she left the house. All she knows is that she heard the noise in Su-yeon's room, that the noise was in fact the wardrobe falling on Su-yeon, and because of her bitterness toward Eun-joo, she chose not to investigate, causing her to not be there for her sister when her sister needed her the most. Thus she feels like it is her fault that Su-yeon died.
S. IF SU-YEON WAS IN SU-MI'S HEAD, HOW DID SHE GET THE CHANT "TERRI TAKOOM, TERRI TAKOOM"? I struggle with this one. Every explanation or interpretation I';ve given so far, I fully believe is accurate. Even if it isn't necessarily the intention of the director, I believe they work perfectly. I can't say that of this response. I love the eerie feeling given when Su-yeon says "Terri Takoom, Terri Takoom" (not sure if spelled right). However, I can't give an explanation without sounding like I'm trying to make it fit. One could say, well the mom's ghost had someway contacted Su-yeon, but this isn't Su-yeon, its Su-mi's created personality of Su-yeon. My only attempt at an explanation is this. The ways in which the ghosts of Su-yeon and the mother reacted with Su-mi depended on which personality Su-mi was in.. In Su-mi's bed, the mother demonstrates frustration at Su-mi for pretending at times to be Eun-joo. (Read question #F of this post). Su-yeon haunted Su-mi's Eun-joo personality in the kitchen because, even thought it was really Su-mi, she was in Eun-joo mode.. It is possible the mom also interacted with Su-mi's Su-yeon personality at some point. With no reason to be angry with Su-yeon, she instead gives her this chant to call upon her. She certainly wouldn't have had a reason to haunt the Su-yeon personality, as she did the other two personalities. This is the only interpretation I can come up with to explain Su-yeon's actions in this scene.
T. WHY DID SU-MI CHANGE THE CLOCK IN HER BEDROOM? I believe this had to do with the fact that she relived theses events in her mind several times. For instance, she told her father that Eun-joo "keeps locking Su-yeon in the closet". Also the multiple identical dresses and diaries are in her mind, a result of being confused. She's been here and done this before, but only bits and pieces are remembered, showing up in the replay to confuse her. When she originally came home from the hospital, it was at a specific time. However, her replay of the event might happen at a different time of day. Seeing a different time of day on the clock than it was supposed to be for the time of her return might be what bothered her.
U. WHEN THE FATHER IS SHAVING, WHAT WAS IT THAT SU-MI SAID TO EUN-JOO, CAUSING HER TO RESPOND "WHAT? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SAYING THAT AGAIN" Eun-joo is referring to a very specific conversation; a very pivotal point in Su-mi's life. During the flashback, while Su-yeon is dying, Su-mi and Eun-joo have their confrontation by the stairs. (This is the real Eun-joo and a real confrontation of coarse). Eun-joo tells Su-mi that she will regret this, and Su-mi tells her that "Anywhere is better than being there with her". This is the moment in time that haunts Su-mi , and this is what causes her to loose touch with reality, and become "sick". She finds out later that she does regret it, more than she can bear. Her own actions and words seal her fate. Su-yeon's death itself was probably more than she could have coped with, but her words here, and the subsequent reaction to them, (her leaving without investigating the noise), are what plunge her into relentless guilt, regret and remorse. Su-mi's words here by the stairs will haunt her forever Now, this is where her subconscious, psychological therapy gets really interesting. As stated above, Su-mi creates the Eun-joo personality to provide a threat to Su-yeon, giving Su-mi the opportunity to "be there" for Su-yeon. Her purpose is to escape the incredible regret and remorse of letting her sister die, regret brought on by her fateful words, which called for her to leave the scene. However, her guilt is RELENTLESS, and it causes her psychological therapy to backfire. Su-mi meant for the Eun-joo personality to help her, but instead, her guilt uses it to remind her of her words and actions. Guilt says "I'm not going to let you forget what you said", so Su-mi subconsciously creates a situation where she says them again, or something to the same effect. When Su-mi says "Anywhere's better than being here with you" the Eun-joo personality basically says "What? You're saying these things again. This is why you got sick before, This is why you're sick now, didn't you learn anything. Let me remind you. It's your fault Su-yeon died". Relentless.
more...
Reply by Infected By Eli
on February 10, 2017 at 2:28 PM
(continued)
V. WHAT WAS THE BAG BEATING THING ALL ABOUT. Once Su-mi was forced by her father to realize Su-yeon was dead, she panicked. Her delusional world of self-help therapy was severely threatened. This is when she decided to turn the therapy level up to the max, and created a ridiculously extreme scenario of Su-yeon needing her. The whole scene of Eun-joo beating the bag did take place, it was just Su-mi doing it, believing at that moment that she was Eun-joo, and thus creating the threat. Later, she is out of Eun-joo mode, and back in Su-mi mode, discovering the bag and attempting to "be there" to rescue Su-yeon. When she has her brief flashback, her mixed up mind is starting to realize that it was actually her who was beating the bag. I believe that not only consciously, but also SUBCONCIOUSLY, Sumi really begins to panic now, because if she looses the ability to continue her therapeutic delusions, she will loose any hope of ridding herself of the pain. That is why the rest to the scene turns so violent. In fact, in the latter part of this scene, she finally realizes there's no way out anyway, other than death. The peaceful look on her face while on the floor awaiting her delusional death, her slight smile, is such a powerful scene.
W. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EUN-JOO RETURNS FROM UPSTAIRS AFTER THE ACCIDENT? HOW COULD SHE EXPLAIN HER EXTENDED ABSENCE ONCE EVERONE RELIZED THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE?(LATER)? This creates a rather awkward situation for Eun-joo. I could only guess she would claim the excuse that only Su-mi could legitimately claim; that she did fight with Su-mi, and in the course of the argument, forgot about the noise. What could Su-mi say...To argue that it's a lame excuse would be to argue against herself. As far as the comment Eun-joo made about Su-mi "regretting this moment", she could brush this off as meaning Su-mi would regret having such a bitter fight with her, since they would be living together. Kind of weak, yes, but what else could she say, and the father really wouldn't have any reason not to believe her. He was well aware of the animosity Su-mi had towards both him and Eun-joo.
X. WHEN SU-MI WAS WALKING IN THE WOODS, WHY DID SHE LOOK BACK? She was whistling her mother's lullaby, however, she heard, at least in her mind, whistling other than herself.
Y. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVIE'S TAGLINE- "OUR SORROW WAS CONCIEVED LONG BEFORE OUR BIRTH"? This question was best answered by a fellow viewer / poster / friend, Maeling. In response, I will just quote Maeling. "If you study the concept of the word "conceived", it makes you think of seeds sown, doesn't it? So the roots of the tragedy lie deep in the past, probably as a hereditary burden of having a fragile mind. But this doesn't refer to fate in the sense that every future event has already been carved in stone. Like seeds need a specific soil to sprout and grow, the mind requires certain circumstances and conditions to break. If you hold a glass marble in one hand and a rubber ball in the other, they are equally round while solid, aren't they. But in case of a fall, which one is more likely to break? While most people have a mind capable of dealing with life's general ups and downs, these women (the mother and Su-Mi) unfortunaly carried within themselves a hereditary "mind of glass". Not doomed from the beginning, but definetely less likely to survive whatever heartaches might come their way. This is the sorrow conceived long before birth."
Z. WHY DID SU-MI STARE AT SU-YEON'S HAND WHEN THEY WERE ON THE DOCK AT THE LAKE? Su-mi had subconsciously created Su-yeon so she could protect her and be there for her since she wasn't before. While Su-yeon is very real to her, at the same time, there is still part of Su-mi's mind that knows she died. These two combine to cause a constant fear that this imaginary Su-yeon will die. Su-mi is looking at her lifeline, which is either not there, indicating that Su-yeon is really dead, or it is short, indicating that this imaginary Su-yeon will soon die.
If this post has been a help, please post a response saying so, which will in turn keep it active. At the same time, I would like to state that the intention of this post is to grant insight into a very difficult to understand movie, in hopes that the viewer, upon understanding, discovers a masterpiece. It is not to invite debate as to whether or not my understanding is correct. I realize that this film is somewhat subjective, leaving room for different interpretations of some scenes. I'm not presuming to have the definitive answer to all the aspects of this film, as that would be vain. However, I do believe the interpretations I give are very workable, each being consistent with the other, and the film as a whole.
Reply by DolphinRacer
on February 11, 2017 at 10:00 AM
Ha! I saw that you just subscribed too Infected By Eli. Posting Opiemar's analysis of this movie somewhere else on the web was the first thing I thought about doing when I learnt that IMDB's message boards were to disappear soon. So, thank you for doing what had to be done first! Cheers, "for posterity"
Reply by Infected By Eli
on February 11, 2017 at 6:21 PM
:D
Reply by mkeithddc
on February 16, 2017 at 5:06 PM
@DolphinRacer @Infected By Eli
LOL, Great Minds think alike. This was the first thing that I thought of to copy before it got erased. You beat me too it.
Reply by ACAx1985
on June 17, 2020 at 10:48 PM
I can't thank you enough for posting this. It was a tragedy when IMDB closed their forums -- thousands of analyses like these disappeared forever. It was a modern burning of The Library of Alexandria. Thank you for preserving this.
Just watched this film for the first time, and it's interesting that Wikipedia cleanly states:
Theories or assumptions perhaps, but I dont think there is enough evidence there to make all of those claims as fact.
SOMETHING upsets the sisters and causes the mother (how do we know she was sick or that the step-mother was the caretaker) to kill herself, but I don't know that we have firm answers.
Reply by bratface
on June 17, 2020 at 11:13 PM
I have put this on my 'Kanopy' watchlist. I am a big fan of Korean films. I will come back after I watch it.
Reply by Infected By Eli
on June 18, 2020 at 9:12 AM
The fact that Eun-Joo was a nurse is borne out by the uniform she is wearing in some of the photos. One photo is a group shot including Eun-Joo and Moo-Hyeon (Su-Mi's father) showing that they are all doctors or nurses. Eun-Joo and Moo-Hyeon are colleagues. Whether or not Eun-Joo was tending to Su-Mi's mother is an assumption, a plausible one, but still an assumption. There are good reasons to believe that Su-Mi's mother (credited as Mrs Bae, family name only) was suffering from depression; anxious, isolated, morose, lack of self grooming, and crying due to one's self perceived failings are all pointers used in films to show depression. Mrs Bae ticks all those boxes. In addition, and more plainly than those signs, the suicide also points to depression, presumably overdosed on anti-depressants with a makeshift noose for good measure. Now I don't pretend to know the details of Korean family hierarchy but I see it as completely possible that Eun-Joo stepped in as a friend of the father to take charge of Su-Mi and Su-Yeon following their mother absenting herself from family life, only to be met with resistance. Su-Mi and Eun-Joo's confrontation at the top of the stairs was all about that...
Eun-Joo: Didn't you hear something?
Su-Mi: Why'd you come up here? Dad's not here.
Eun-Joo: What do you mean by that?
Su-Mi: Now you're trying to act like mom. Do me a favour stay out of our lives.
There is nothing to suggest that Moo-Hyeon and Eun-Joo were engaged. In fact, he would have still been married to Su-Mi's mother at the time of Eun-Joo and Su-Mi's confrontation. There is a possibility that Eun-Joo and Moo-Hyeon are just friends and colleagues and the whole "affair" is supposition on Su-Mi's part.
Reply by bigdreamer
on September 4, 2021 at 10:16 AM
Can you explain action of killing the birds and then the father buried them? Do it have any meaning
Reply by Infected By Eli
on September 5, 2021 at 6:28 AM
Spoiler ahead
My opinions are...
The killing can be explained as a form of revenge. The birds belong to Eun-Joo, and Su-Mi hates her for treating Su-Yeon badly and stealing their father's affection. The girls talk about killing them earlier in the film, Su-Mi wants to kill them whereas Su-Yeon wants to set them free. Once you get to the end of the film and realise that the only two people in the house are Su-Mi and her father you then understand the significance of Moo-Hyeon burying only one bird while the bird cage sits empty to one side. There was only ever one bird the whole time. Su-Mi saw two birds in the cage, and we saw two sisters but there was only ever one in reality. The fact that Su-Mi wants to kill the bird is a reflection of her suicide attempt, she still wants to kill herself. When you delve into this film for meanings, it's heartbreak at every turn.
Reply by schamon
on October 12, 2022 at 2:11 PM
Have been loving all your words. I hope you're still responding in this thread. What do you think the confrontation at the dinner in the flashback was just before su-yeon goes upstairs to find her mom?
Reply by tmdb53400018
on October 12, 2022 at 6:42 PM
Excuse me for breaking into this, but I heard tell that this film is pretty cool!
Reply by Dagz
on April 7, 2024 at 7:51 AM
When I first watched this film, like most people, I didn't fully understand it. Something about it stuck in my mind and, for a few weeks after, I'd think about it every now and then. Obviously, Su-Yeon was a figment, the film tells you that (notice how the Father never speaks to Su-Yeon once leading up to that point), but the rest of it puzzled me. Why was the Father ignoring the abuse of his Daughter at the hands of this wicked woman? Why do we see Su-Mi and Eun-Joo swap places during the flashbacks? The little details kept bugging me.
When the truth of the third plot twist finally struck me, I had to watch it again to be sure. Surely it can't be. Sure enough, all the clues were there. The pills the Father keeps handing to Eun-Joo, and later Su-Mi. The desperate pleas of the Father to "stop this". The dinner scene. Etc.
I've never known a film to have such a profound plot twist. Once you realise the only people in the house are the Father and Daughter it completely changes everything. The writing, acting, directing and soundtrack... my god the soundtrack... are incredible.
It is, without doubt, my favourite film of all time, and I don't think that will ever change. I've watched it probably 10 times since and spot new clues every time. I'm glad someone else appreciates it for the masterpiece that it is.