Stoker (2013)

Chan-wook Park's English language debut has three Australians in the cast: Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Jackie Weaver. Jackie experienced a major career resurgence (and two Oscar nominations) after starring in Animal Kingdom.British actor Matthew Gould also features in this movie, so quite a multicultural cast on hand for this moody and atmospheric movie.If you're into fast and furious cars or mixed martial "arts", then Stoker isn't for you. Please give up your cinema seat for someone else who will appreciate the many layers of Stoker. There's no happy ending as such, so be prepared for the worst in people.

Stoker has been on my watchlist for so long I don't even remember what made me interested in it in the first place. I'd say it's because of Park Chan-wook but I'm not so sure if that was the original reason for that. However, now that I haven't really written about movies for a while I thought I'd watch something and decided to go with Stoker.The story is astonishing, and so is the structure. The whole film is somewhat creepy from the beginning, but it's not so straight-forward with it. The film begins as "muted creepy". While the audience sees that something is clearly up with Charlie, the audience doesn't necessarily know what it is. He seems normal, but we've all seen movies, we know he isn't. It's just hard to realise before it's shoved into our faces and we know. Also that really disturbing atmosphere is enhanced by weirdly intense scenes. They don't necessarily need to be that intense, but they are, and that helps create the ambiance of the film. Also while parts of the "plot twist" were easy to predict, some of them came as a total surprise. They definitely were disturbing twists, just like in Oldboy, but still at least partly delightfully unpredictable. Somewhere during the film I forgot that it was Wentworth Miller who wrote this. Either the story is similar to what I'm used to from Park Chan-wook or his directing just made it look so clearly like his movie, but I kept forgetting who actually wrote Stoker. Visually this movie is just as enchanting as Oldboy or Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. It's marvellous. It's unconventional, yet every shot seems to be beautiful, even if they are extremely gruesome. Chung Chung-hoon is an excellent cinematographer. Stoker goes to same category with other Park Chan-wook movies I've seen. It is gruesome, disturbing yet extremely fascinating. If you like films like that, Stoker and Park Chan-wook's movies in general are the right films for you.

Having seen and been unhealthily engaged in 'Thirst' I acquired this.It reminded me of a similar disappointment. One of my most trusted filmmakers is Kar Wai Wong, someone who has expanded my electric cage. His first non-English film 'Blueberry Night' was every bit as ambitious as, say, 'Chun King Express," but had none of the adventure. None of the crazy veers past the guard rail. I suppose it was because at home, his crew understood intuitive shifting as you go. His borrowed US crew had no idea, so he just had to plow through the seafood to the nauseous end.This is less of a failure. Many of the themes, urges and cinematic devices from 'Thirst' are here. The actress seems to understand, but she's just too much of a person where she needs to be a simple container of undirected, temporarily knotted desires. The Charlie in this one isn't much different than Hitchcock's Uncle Charlie, more mad, but as much in control. Too much control for what I think Chan-wook Park had in mind. But he had a script, and not the room to intuitively embellish. Does simply using US assets kill non-character oriented improvisation?

"Stoker" is as weird as a film can get without being classed as art- cinema. As someone who relishes dark plot lines and creepy twists, I wasn't put off by the premise, i.e. a young girl's feelings for her enigmatic uncle in the aftermath of her father's death. "Stoker" embodies a very Gothic style thanks to the brooding country house, dark clothing and macabre subject matter.The cinematography and symbolism were evidently the director's main focus: obscure camera angles capture close-ups of shoes, belts, faces, all fraught with symbolism. The plot itself, although original, is not the stand-out characteristic, being marginally too predictable and sensationalised. That said, there were several small events which I didn't anticipate, which added to the tense atmosphere of the claustrophobic house. Small, insignificant sounds are heightened in the film, both to imply India's ability to notice things that others don't, and to imply the tiny peculiarities of the Stoker family. It's this attention to minute detail which makes the film stand out above similar films.The music is at once sweeping and minimal, reflecting the sinister atmosphere. Were it not for the use of cell phones, it would be hard to place "Stoker" in a specific time zone - the Gothic atmosphere and the house's isolation mean that it could even be set within the frame of Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting. The film is effective in making subtle jibes at American culture, from mid-US suburbia to high school chauvinism.The effectiveness of "Stoker" relies on its under-the-surface creepiness, and the wondrous performances of all 3 main actors portray it perfectly. Nicole Kidman is the bereaved, neurotic typical mother; Mia Wasikowska the morbid introverted teenage weirdo; and Matthew Goode the charming but mysterious and unknown uncle; all 3 are hiding dark internal thoughts which are revealed as the story unfolds.Despite some predictability in the plot, "Stoker" remains a dark and atmospheric drama film with an undeniable subtlety of tone.