Janghwa, Hongryeon

Lately I feel to have gotten a greater interest in horror films, especially those Asian ones which have the reputation to be amongst the best of the genre and are said to really scare you good. I however so far have never gotten really scared by a horror film, especially the ones featuring ghosts or other frightening creatures whom I just don't believe in. Most horror films feature those kinds of characters, but there are some out there who tend to go beyond the boundaries of reality and imagination, wrapping things up with a more realistic approach of what is the cause of all the evil that haunts the main characters of the film. Like for instance Ringu (The Ring), Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale Of Two Sisters) features the well known shock effects but has an interesting and engaging enough story to keep people like me watching. The entire film is drenched in mystery, making you as a viewer come up with reasons as to explain the strange things that are going on. Janghwa, Hongryeon therefore is not just a horror but also borrows aspects from a psychological thriller leaving you as a viewer continuously trying to make sense out of things and putting strange thoughts into your head. This, however, becomes one of Janghwa, Hongryeon biggest weaknesses. The story just gets too complex at a point and makes that as a viewer you really have no idea what is truly going on, with the effect that every possible reason that could be the cause of all the horror crosses your mind. As a result when the moment comes up where the film reveals what's really going on as a viewer you already got your mind so messed up that you're left even more confused. At the end the twist that appears does give clarity and the film tells how everything led up to this point, though it all still feels to be very confusing and difficult to truly grasp immediately. It wasn't until after the film reading a post on the forum of the film on Imdb.com that I found myself understanding the film better. Though it does feel a bit too far fethced and to really get everything involves a lot of effort. What made me keep watching Janghwa, Hongryeon most though, was the performance of Jung-ah Yum who plays the main characters' stepmother. She really manages to frigthen you with her pure evil and wickedness, presenting a stepmother you wouldn't even wish your greatest enemy to have. Also the film features some very pretty shots and I liked its focus on the lower part of the body or just the hands, in a way cutting up the actors making for a lot of shots in which you never see their head but just their body moving. It's made very well and creates a good mysterious atmosphere though it loses itself too much in this creating of mystery becoming a real mystery itself that on first view is pretty hard to make sense of.

Verdict: A horror film of which the story is interesting enough to keep you watching, so not just counting on shock effects to grab its audience's attention. It's nice but challenges you to not turn it off as it becomes very complicated. I however didn't have much problem to keep on watching because of good acting performances, nice looking shots, and a story, even though complex and refusing to give away answers before the end, that is engaging and keeps your mind active.