Two Sisters

 Two Sisters is about two North Korean sisters’ deadly journey to defect to South Korea via China.  When their parents are taken away to prison camp for unknown reasons, older sister, Mi-Jin(15), decides to take her younger sister Yoo-Jin(8) and cross the river into China. It’s a perilous and dangerous journey. Yoo-Jin is too young to know what this means so the responsibility falls with Mi-Jin to get them across safely without being caught.

 

The film starts when Mi-Jin goes back home to find the rucksack of supplies needed to travel to the South.  In it is a flashlight to signal the broker on the other side of the river and two bottles of rat poisons, as death would be a better option than being captured and tortured at the hands of the soldiers. Wanting to protect her sister from the horrible truth, Mi-Jin tells Yoo-Jin that the rat poison is magical water. It will give them special powers when they need it most.  Young Yoo-Jin finds the whole thing fascinating. In the middle of the night they set off on the arduous journey.

 

Finally, Mi-Jin leads her younger sister across the deadly river that’ll change their lives forever. Halfway across the river, the girls become stuck.  North Korean soldiers are closing in behind and the Chinese officials also become alert too them.  Mi-Jin panics and tells Yoo-Jin to drink the ‘magical water’.  Yoo-Jin rips the plastic bag and her ‘magical water’ drifts away underwater.  Mi-Jin is faced to make the unimaginable decision at this point, a tragic decision that no one can dare imagine.