Seo Jeongnam  Michael Bujold  Young-ki You

10.18399/acta.2011.14.1.004

Korean film Changhwa Hongnyŏn (A Tale of Two Sisters) post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) psychoanalysis multiple personalities ambivalence Korean classic novel Changhwa Hongnyŏn chŏn narrative structure personage character horror film

This study analyzes the story structure of director Kim Chiun’s film Changhwa Hongnyŏn (A Tale of Two Sisters), as well as the characters that arouse, lead, and complete the events that unfold in the story. While eight years have already passed since its release, this film continues to serve not only as the subject of many studies conducted by researchers involved in the field of film studies but also those engaged in the field of literary studies. To this end, this study begins by reviewing the opinion pieces written by film critics, pieces which caused much debate in fan magazines at the time of the film’s release, as well as the great majority of the previous studies that have focused on this film. Many individuals have conducted comparative studies about the direct and indirect relationship between the classic novel Changhwa Hongnyŏn chŏn and the film Changhwa Hongnyŏn. Such studies have focused on how the film adapted and transformed the classic novel, or how far the film deviated from the original work. However, these issues were not addressed in this study. This is because it is advanced herein that from the very beginning Kim’s decision to entitle his film Changhwa Hongnyŏn was based on a heavily calculated strategy that did not involve any intention to inherit or adapt (translate) any element of the original story in the film. The second issue which came to the forefront during the review of previous studies was the fact that the majority of researchers had a negative assessment of the film narrative’s degree of completion. In this regard, the present study conducted a thorough segmentation-based analysis of the text that saw the temporality and causal relationships found in the story be reorganized in a logical manner. The narrative structure of the film was also delved into in a detailed manner. Next, an analysis of the relationship between the characters and their personalities was undertaken. The dramatic relationship that exists between the characters was explained using the summary found in Figure 1. Thereafter, an analysis of the key characters, namely Sumi who serves as the film’s main character, and Muhyŏn (father), who serves as the cause of all the events that unfold therein, was carried out. An analogical examination of the elements which caused Sumi’s mental illness was also undertaken. Based on this process, the originality of Sumi’s complex ambivalence and how this ambivalence was expressed are clearly revealed. In the concluding section, the symbolism of the house as the background (space) for this film and its connectivity with the narrative was addressed. While the film does not suggest any alternative measures concerning the tragic situations that have been unlimitedly repeated inside of Sumi’s head, the present study does suggest that Sumi’s physical and mental departure from the house mark the first step towards overcoming her illness.