Stoker (B or 3/4 stars)
'Stoker' follows in the same vein as director Chan-wook Park's past films (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) by following a quietly intense protagonist through a nightmare of frustration & bubbling-beneath-the-surface rage that ultimately finds expulsion in a decisive act of violence. The film opens & closes at a roadside, telling the entire story in flashback mode. Mia Wasikowska (best known from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland) stars as India Stoker, an isolated, moody teen whose 18th birthday coincides with the accidental automobile death of her beloved father, Richard (Dermot Mulroney). She has a weak relationship with her unstable, alcoholic mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman). Evelyn loves her daughter, but perhaps - doesn't have the greatest parenting abilities.
Their situation becomes worse when India's Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) - who she never knew existed - shows up for the funeral; as his increasingly close relationship with Evelyn drives even more of a wedge btwn. mother & daughter. Initially, India thinks the enormous void left by her father's untimely death is finally being filled by his brother. But very soon after his arrival, she begins to suspect that this mysterious-if-charming man has dark ulterior motives. There's something not quite right about him. His smile seems to hide something sinister. And YET, something is off with India, as well. Instead of feeling horror or outrage at some of things he's doing/saying, this troubled & repressed teen becomes increasingly infatuated with him. Craziness ensues.
'Stoker' is one demented little coming-of-age tale ... but that's not a bad thing. Flamboyant director Park & 1st-time writer Wentworth Miller (of 'Prison Break') gives this drama a real gothic feel. India is pale with severe dark hair. Her attire is severe. She doesn't mind spiders. The mansion she (and Kidman) lives in is stark & ominous; I'm reminded of the extra large kitchen chairs. There are multiple deaths that occur throughout the story. And the narrative feels Hitchcockian: slow, but with a strong, yet quiet sense of hurt & brutality underlying every character exchange. i.e., there are incestuous intimations, creepy obsessive behavior, & even a masturbation scene (in which the person gets-off while thinking of ... a murder).
On paper, Stoker's plot looks somewhat conventional & thin. It IS a simple story. But the strength is all in the execution. First & foremost, this film has a strong directorial vision. Park plays with odd camera angles, flashbacks, use of color, fade-ins, fade-outs, visual tricks, sound effects, & unusual transitions (like when Kidman's strands of hair dissolve into blades of tall grass in a swamp). Every single shot is deliberate. Everything is framed for a purpose. And the performances aid the 'thin' script, as well. Goode is utterly convincing as a smiley-yet-icy sociopath. And I loved Wasikowska's blend of naivete with inner darkness & her sullen peculiarities. It's funny ... their interactions plus Kidman's slightly-neurotic, sexually impulsive portrayal reminded me of 1962's 'Lolita' - which I just saw for the 1st time a few days ago. Supporting turns by Phyllis Sommerville (the family house maid) & Jacki Weaver (as all-too-knowing Aunt 'Gin') also impress.
More on Park's directorial achievement: because the story is so warped (and intercut with rearranged scenes & character interactions), I really had very little idea of what was going to happen from one moment to the next. Tension & suspense is built because of those methods. I had to focus on what was going on in immediate moment (which is why I didn't know what would happen from scene to scene). In the end, the story winds up being fairly predictable. But part of the macabre fun is staying in 'the moment' & not being able to figure out how it will get where it's going. 'Stoker' is one of those movies that won't strike a chord with everyone. It's divisive. But for those who tap into its strange beauty & twisted nature, then I'm sure they won't be disappointed.
Their situation becomes worse when India's Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) - who she never knew existed - shows up for the funeral; as his increasingly close relationship with Evelyn drives even more of a wedge btwn. mother & daughter. Initially, India thinks the enormous void left by her father's untimely death is finally being filled by his brother. But very soon after his arrival, she begins to suspect that this mysterious-if-charming man has dark ulterior motives. There's something not quite right about him. His smile seems to hide something sinister. And YET, something is off with India, as well. Instead of feeling horror or outrage at some of things he's doing/saying, this troubled & repressed teen becomes increasingly infatuated with him. Craziness ensues.
'Stoker' is one demented little coming-of-age tale ... but that's not a bad thing. Flamboyant director Park & 1st-time writer Wentworth Miller (of 'Prison Break') gives this drama a real gothic feel. India is pale with severe dark hair. Her attire is severe. She doesn't mind spiders. The mansion she (and Kidman) lives in is stark & ominous; I'm reminded of the extra large kitchen chairs. There are multiple deaths that occur throughout the story. And the narrative feels Hitchcockian: slow, but with a strong, yet quiet sense of hurt & brutality underlying every character exchange. i.e., there are incestuous intimations, creepy obsessive behavior, & even a masturbation scene (in which the person gets-off while thinking of ... a murder).
On paper, Stoker's plot looks somewhat conventional & thin. It IS a simple story. But the strength is all in the execution. First & foremost, this film has a strong directorial vision. Park plays with odd camera angles, flashbacks, use of color, fade-ins, fade-outs, visual tricks, sound effects, & unusual transitions (like when Kidman's strands of hair dissolve into blades of tall grass in a swamp). Every single shot is deliberate. Everything is framed for a purpose. And the performances aid the 'thin' script, as well. Goode is utterly convincing as a smiley-yet-icy sociopath. And I loved Wasikowska's blend of naivete with inner darkness & her sullen peculiarities. It's funny ... their interactions plus Kidman's slightly-neurotic, sexually impulsive portrayal reminded me of 1962's 'Lolita' - which I just saw for the 1st time a few days ago. Supporting turns by Phyllis Sommerville (the family house maid) & Jacki Weaver (as all-too-knowing Aunt 'Gin') also impress.
More on Park's directorial achievement: because the story is so warped (and intercut with rearranged scenes & character interactions), I really had very little idea of what was going to happen from one moment to the next. Tension & suspense is built because of those methods. I had to focus on what was going on in immediate moment (which is why I didn't know what would happen from scene to scene). In the end, the story winds up being fairly predictable. But part of the macabre fun is staying in 'the moment' & not being able to figure out how it will get where it's going. 'Stoker' is one of those movies that won't strike a chord with everyone. It's divisive. But for those who tap into its strange beauty & twisted nature, then I'm sure they won't be disappointed.