We’re back with a new film review, this time we watched ‘Three Sisters’. This has been on my to-watch list for a hot minute but I finally got around to watch it.
(editor’s note; TW for self-harm and abuse)
‘Three Sisters’ was released in 2020 and was written and directed by Lee Seung-won. The film stars Moon So-Ri, Kim Sun-Young and Jang Yoon-Ju as the three sisters.
Kim Sun-Young plays the eldest daughter Hee-Sook. She’s deeply shy and constantly sorry for her own feelings and reactions. Her husband only comes round for money and her daughter is going through a rebellious phase. Hee-Sook has a tendency to self-harm and was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Mi-Yeon, played by Moon So-Ri is the middle sister and a devoted church goer. She conducts the church choir and is seemingly happily married with two young children. She discovers her husband has an affair with one of the choir members and things go south. Her entire role feels so suffocating because she’s holding everything in so much.
The youngest of the three is Mi-Ok, played by Jang Yoon-Ju (‘Money Heist‘. She’s a playwright who married a divorcee who has a teenage son. Mi-Ok is erratic and emotional. She’s also an alcohol addict and frequently explodes in anger.
The three have to deal with their own issues while also going to a family gathering to celebrate the father’s birthday.
Overall
‘Three Sisters’ is a really painful film to watch. I don’t mean in the sense that it’s painful because it’s bad, because it really isn’t. The movie won the BaekSang for Best Supporting Actress (Kim Sun-Young) and Best Actress (Moon So-Ri) and Best Supporting Actress (Kim Sun-Young) at the Blue Dragon Awards.
It’s far from bad. It just hurts to see their painful and decidedly unhappy life. They’re all adults but they’re showing the scars from the physical abuse from their father during childhood.
I thought it was interesting to see how different the sisters were and how they deal with their painful memories. The eldest doesn’t talk about them at all and harms herself to get away. The middle sister remembers every little detail and the youngest only remembers bits and pieces and often calls the middle sister to ask what they were about.
It’s brutal, it’s honest and it leaves you raw and hollow for a bit after watching it.
I would recommend watching it because it’s interesting and the performances were incredible.
Watch the trailer below.
