A teenage girl, Su-mi, is being treated for shock and psychosis in a mental institution. Soon after, she is returning home to her family's secluded estate in the countryside with her father and younger sister Su-yeon, whom she is protective of. The sisters have a cold reunion with their stepmother, Eun-joo, who constantly requires medication. Eun-joo also has a strained relationship with her husband, both of them enduring a sexless marriage.
Flashbacks reveal the day that led Su-mi to be institutionalized. While her terminally ill mother was still alive, her father engaged in an adulterous affair with Eun-joo, when she was still their in-home nurse. This upsets the sisters and drives their mother to hang herself in the wardrobe of Su-yeon's bedroom. Su-yeon attempts to revive her but the wardrobe collapses on top of her. Eun-joo sees Su-yeon thrashing and suffocating and at the last minute, decides to save Su-yeon. However, Su-mi arrives and criticises Eun-joo for interfering with her family. Angry at Su-mi's criticisms, Eun-joo leaves Su-yeon to die and tells Su-mi that she'll "regret this moment." Su-mi leaves the house, unaware of both her sister and her mother's fate.
In the original Korean folktale, the sisters' names are Janghwa and Hongryeon (Rose Flower and Red Lotus). In the film, they are Su-mi and Su-yeon (though the names still hold the meaning, Rose and Lotus).
One of the reasons I downloaded shudder is because it kept coming up on Amazon under movies I wanted to watch. One of these movies is a tale of two sisters. Now that I've downloaded the app and subscribed to shudder, that film isn't there. But when I search it on Amazon prime, it still says available with shudder. Are some films only available through the Amazon app?
Five years ago, a witch's curse beneath the red moon turned Chante into a fairy. Now she and her sister Elise search for a way to transform her back into a human, and in their travels they come across a particular town, which is home to a number of nearby ruins, as well as a peculiar shopkeeper named Aira, and a strange, mercurial fortune-teller who calls herself Elma. Could this place hold the key to returning Chante to normal? Or will it lead to more answers than our two sisters ever wanted to know?...
A Tale of Two Sisters is the story of Su-mi and Su-yeon, two young siblings who return to their countryside home having spent time in a mental institution being treated for psychosis. Despite the idyllic setting, the sisters repeatedly clash with stepmother Heo Eun-joo, while their father comes across as aloof and disconnected. Worse yet, a series of mysterious and nightmarish incidents inside the house rattle the sisters, and as relationships become strained a series of shocking revelations point towards a dark and unexpected conclusion.
As the film progresses things appear to begin to slot into place only to be dislodged again as the story takes its twisting path leading to its ultimatum which although not particularly dramatic still rounds things off nicely with plenty of scope for questions. The sisters, Su-jeong and Su-mi play their parts perfectly and the spectrum of emotions they experience are totally convincing. Their portrayal of mental turmoil and desperation is particularly haunting and not to be forgotten in a hurry.
The episode is a tale of the two sisters, Artemis and Jade. It is a reference to the 1859 Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities, which Artemis also recites during her second lecture and the end credits scene. She also wrote the opening line of the book on her classroom board, in the last flashback she was holding the book and Paula is seen reading it before Jade shows up.
Hollywood has also produced some high-profile remakes of South Korean movies, such as Spike Lee's Oldboy or Mirrors starring Kiefer Sutherland, which was based off the 2003's Into The Mirror. There are also American versions planned for Train To Busan and the acclaimed thriller I Saw The Devil. A Tale Of Two Sisters is a psychological horror tale from director Kim Jee-woon, where two sisters return home from their stay in a mental institution, where they clash with their wicked stepmother and come to realize the spirit of their late mother might be haunting the house.
Maj. Liliana Henriquez and Master Sgt. Liesbeth Bowen are sisters who were born in Venezuela and later joined the Air Force. The sisters used programs such as Military Tuition Assistance and Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarships to pursue their education. Henriquez is a Oceana Dam Neck Annex Joint Targeting School joint staff J7 instructor and Bowen is the 633rd Wing Staff Agency first sergeant. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Airman 1st Class Devin Scott Michaels) Editor's note: Image background has been altered to increase emphasis on the photo's subject.
Interior design is a collaborative process with any client, and yet The Wolf is made extra special because of our bond as sisters. She skews more French classic, and I am more edgy modern. And there is a place where we meet, in perfect balance, over the dinner table.
I have studied separated twins for many years, first from 1982 to 1991 as an investigator with the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA). Today, I follow the progress of 16 young Chinese reared-apart twin pairs, as well as older twins separated due to unusual life events. I have seen striking examples of identical, reared-apart twins whose athletic talents coincided prior to any contact between them. Japanese-born twins Steve and Tom, raised by different families in the United States, both became competitive lifters and owners of bodybuilding gyms; Steve competed in the 1980 Olympics. Adriana and Tamara, born in Mexico and raised in New York, attended different Long Island colleges and found each other only after one was mistaken for the other. But both were already accomplished dancers and later performed together. Mark and Jerry, each six-foot-four, were both already volunteer firefighters when they met in their early thirties, each having developed the strength, stamina, and motivation to pursue the demanding role.
It is no secret that religious congregations of sisters have been shrinking for years. In many parts of the world, sisters are growing older, and fewer young women are entering religious life. While the number of religious sisters may be smaller, the legacy and impact of women religious continues to be enormous. Time spent with a special sister pair reveals how women religious have been shaping our lives, our community, and our world for years.
Sister Elizabeth Joseph Toomey, CSJ, and Sister Catherine (William Francis) Decker, CSJ, belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and live at the Motherhouse in Brighton. Their community's mission is to work for unity and to help people become both whole and holy. These two religious women have been dedicated to that mission and to God during their religious lives. And, in their journey, they have walked with many others on the path of Christ.
Recently, these two lovely ladies sat and shared stories about their lives of dedication and service. Their joyful spirit and cheerful gratitude permeated both the conversation and the hearts of their listeners. It is easy to understand how these two devoted Catholic women have marked the lives of so many with blessed grace.
Hearing and answering the call
Growing up with five brothers, Sister Elizabeth Joseph learned early on to be resilient. She attended Gate of Heaven Elementary School and later the parish high school. It was in her sophomore year that she first felt the tug of religious life. "I was so impressed by how happy the sisters were there and the great work that they did with the kids," she recalls. "Nothing was ever too challenging for them. They were kind and they were fun, and they just seemed to be people who really knew the direction they were going. And most of all, they wanted that for us."
Her call to religious life became stronger so, when she finished high school, and with her mother's blessing, she entered immediately. After an initial bout of homesickness, she completed her postulancy and her novitiate in Framingham. "I became comfortable being away from home and here I am . . . 70 years later."
Over the years, Sister Elizabeth Joseph was missioned as a teacher in several Catholic schools, arriving eventually at St. Joseph School in Medford as one of only three sisters. "They were struggling to survive," she reflects. "It was a hard time in the Church. Many sisters were leaving and there was a lot of unrest. But the people in Medford loved their school and their parish community. We felt a different kind of spirit there."
"Unlike Sister Elizabeth Joseph, I've only been on two missions," Sister Catherine is quick to point out. "I grew up in Jamaica Plain and attended St. Thomas Aquinas, which is the cradle of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Boston. I made my way through high school and eventually to Boston State. After one year, I entered the novitiate." Like Sister Elizabeth Joseph, she also experienced homesickness. "I used to cry when anyone said a word that began with the letter "M" because it reminded me of my mother."
From the novitiate, Sister Catherine went to St. Charles Borromeo in Waltham and spent 15 years there, teaching until the school closed. "Everything was changing so we sisters could choose where we wanted to go. There was an opening for a seventh- and eighth-grade teachers at St. Joseph in Medford and so I went!"
Together, these two sisters spent the following 47 years in service to the students, faculty, and families of St. Joseph. The special spirit that was alive and flowing through that community made a significant impact on them both. "The spirit there was so strong. People's lives revolved around the church and the school. They had all kinds of programs and activities, things like boxing and choir and a school band. Parents would help coach and lead student groups and it was just a very vibrant community."
Among the many blessings that Sister Elizabeth Joseph and Sister Catherine recount are the memories shared with them from former students. "We've had youngsters write and tell us how much of an influence the sisters had on their lives and how much they're bringing their learned values into their current professions."
"One young lady is now a mayor," Sister Elizabeth Joseph eagerly shares. "In a recent column, she set out to speak of all her accomplishments as a council member. But then she changed her mind and instead spoke of what the sisters had taught her in school, how they encouraged her to do good for other people no matter what career she pursued."
"And at a funeral the other day, an alumni policeman came up to us," said Sister Catherine. "He remembered that when he was in school, students came from many different towns and backgrounds, but no one knew the difference. Everyone treated each other with the same respect and dignity. He told us that we had a lot to do with developing that attitude. But that was just one of the great motivations and incentives in our work."
Alumni stories underscore the influence that these sisters had on students and families' lives. They were responsible for not just teaching lessons but educating children in values and virtues. But to these sisters, the appreciation is all theirs.
"We don't think we could have been as happy at school if we were in places where we didn't come to school happy. We lived in great communities of sisters. Were there difficulties and hard days? Of course. Were there situations over the years that needed change? Of course. But those were incidental kinds of things. Both of us have wonderful memories of the community life that we had in the convents."
"We have been so fortunate. Both in the convent life, the parish life, and the school life. It was all together -- it was one whole piece."
The gratitude, dear Sisters, is all ours.
MOLLY WADE IS A STAFF MEMBER AT BOSTON CATHOLIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, BRAINTREE.