Synopsis: Based on Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean thriller entitled A Tale of Two Sisters, this horror film tells the story of a concerned father of two girls who return home after spending time in a mental institution. Once there, they are forced to deal with their stepmother's obsessive and unbalanced ways as well as an interfering ghost.

Cast:
Emily Browning .... Anna
Arielle Kebbel .... Alex
Elizabeth Banks .... Rachael
David Strathairn .... Steven

Notes:
• The Uninvited marks David's first horror film of his career.
• The Uninvited, initially called A Tale of Two Sisters, is an American remake of director Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean thriller of that same name.

Production:
(Excerpts from DreamWorks Press Release:)
• Anna and Alex reconnect in their dislike for dad's new girlfriend, and given Steven's poor parenting skills, they feel totally abandoned. "My intention is to be a good father to her now," observes David Strathairn, "but my career remains my top priority. Before, family matters were attended to by my wife. Now she's gone and I'm plagued with regret and guilt for not having been more involved in my children's lives as I should have. So I'm trying to catch up, not only as a dad but as a friend, as a confidante, as somebody who can support Anna. It's difficult, because I don't really know my daughter. I have expectations of what a father-daughter relationship should be, but I'm really not prepared to handle it all."

Another barrier is his new relationship, which blossomed not long after his wife's death. "I want to marry Rachel," admits Strathairn. "I'm in love with her, because she brought me back from grief. But Anna can't see it that way because she's lost her mother and now this woman is trying to replace her. Anna is just not ready for that. On top of it, she's a teenager, a time in life that is already delicate and tricky."

• Every loving moment between Rachel and Steven makes Anna feel more threatened. "It's one of the major relationships in the film, but we don't really say that much to each other," says Strathairn. "It's a pivotal relationship, yet most of it is conveyed with looks and touches, those inbetween moments that truly cement a relationship."

• Kebbel, of course, is part of the outstanding ensemble the film attracted, including David Strathairn and Elizabeth Banks, neither of whom had appeared in this genre of film before. "A psychological thriller was not a genre I had ever participated in, so it was curiosity to me," says Strathairn. "How do you tell this kind of story when the ultimate effect is contingent on deception and mystery and confusion about what's really going on? But then Tom and Charlie painted some pretty interesting scenarios about how they wanted to investigate this girl's journey through--what can you call it, post-traumatic stress?--and how it would affect all the other characters. It seemed like a very attractive story to tell."

• Banks also confesses she has been a fan of Strathairn's since her days studying drama, and that heightened her interest in the project. "I met David a long time ago, when I was still a drama student. He did a reading of a friend's play in New York, and I thought it was so cool that this very astute, seasoned actor would read some young guy's play. Someone like David still has this opportunity to find a new audience around every corner, and this audience is going to love him. He's just great: serious and funny; he's got the chops."

Critical Praise & Commentary:
(Emily Browning On David:)
• "David is just... I guess at first it's really intimidating, because he's really amazing. He's just really cool, and he's extremely dry. When you first meet people, you're trying to find out what they're like and trying to be a little bit funny. You feel a little bit insecure, and you try to make them laugh. And he's not the sort of person who will give you that. He's kind of really dry. It was a tough film to work on. But after a while...he offered myself and my boyfriend his car so we could get away for a weekend. He's one of the sweetest guys ever. It's always awesome to find that with someone that you really respect." -Emily Browning, co-star (Anna)

(Walter Parkes On David:)
• "I mean, I think he liked the script. I know David. David, I wrote, co-wrote and co-produced the movie, Sneakers, where David had a memorable role. Actually, [it] was one of his first, you know, mainstream Hollywood roles where he played a blind computer hacker with the famous scene where he has to drive a truck blind. And, you know, he's just developed into, what, one of the three or four preeminent American character actors.

"I think that, you know, you look at who could possibly elevate the movie. I mean, what we're trying to do with this is take a shot and you try to elevate it with the best possible directing, the best possible cast, and the best possible filmmakers. And certainly, David was--I'm trying to think, I don't think there was anyone above him in terms of an idea 'cause David has a certain--I think I talked to Bob with Emily; it's like there's some mystery that you can't quite put your hands around. David has just [that] completely.

"It's, and when it shows a little bit of it, you're just all the more intrigued by him. So, he read it and, as I said, we have a relationship. And we all had to get on the phone actually and talk quite a bit. He and I had two conversations. And he and Tom and Charlie had a couple of conversations to really talk about what [does] this role mean to him, you know? And he's such a smart actor because he said, 'Listen, I understand I'm a cog in the wheel; it's about these two girls. I know this is not the point of the story, but I need to find something in this too, just so I can do it right.' So, oddly enough and talking about that, we kind of, it hallucinated the movie to us a little bit. We realized that his, that in some ways, he has responsibility for the entire edifice coming down metaphorically. So, anyway, we came to meeting of the minds. And he asked for some work, but all of it was extremely reasonable and helpful. And we were lucky enough to get [him] to say yes. I also think that he thought that most of the summer in Vancouver didn't sound so bad.

"Now he, in the past, there was a long streak where he did a lot of really nice guy roles. And I remember he kind of memorably played with that in a little movie called Blue Car a couple of years back. I just, again, I've been a fan of him from 20 years ago. And I always go to that, so, what's the secret that he's not letting us know, and there is this sense of that with David. But you're--it's an interesting observation 'cause I just saw Bourne this weekend. No more Mr. Nice Guy. But he's so strong in it, you know? And he might be a guy who's reaching his peak right now. It's funny, I think Tommy Lee Jones did, you know, Men In Black and those movies that really expanded his career when he was probably in his early to mid-50s. And sometimes, with character actors, that can happen. I think Dave has got an amazing, you know, 10 years ahead of him at least." -Walter Parkes, producer

Related Links:
http:// Official USA Site
http:// ArtistDirect.com - The Uninvited