Plot
After India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.
Filming Locations: Hillsboro High School - 3812 Hillsboro Park, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Colin Firth, James Franco, Joel Edgerton, and Michael Fassbender were considered for the role of Uncle Charlie. Firth was actually cast, but he dropped out and was replaced by Matthew Goode. See more »
Quotes:
[from trailer]
Evelyn:
You know, I've often wondered why it is we have children... and the conclusion I've come to is: we want someone to get it right this time. But not me. Personally speaking, I can't wait to watch life tear you apart.
See more »
User Review
Stoker: everything you love about Park-Chan Wook movies, just dialed down a couple notches
Rating: 8/10
As a fan of Chan-Wook Park's Korean films, particular his gross twist
on a vampire story in 2009's Thirst, I was incredibly excited to see
his first English language offering. Stoker, the first film made
stateside by CWP, defiantly doesn't disappoint. This is largely due to
the director staying with what he knows, telling a story that has all
the dark hallmarks from his Korean works. However, Stoker is also less
extreme then one would expect from Chan-Wook Park, as many moments of
violence and depravity that could have been much more over the top are
toned down.
Stoker focuses on the titular family of India, Evelyn, and Richard
Stoker (Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Dermot Mulroney). When
Richard dies in a mysterious car crash, his oddball daughter India
begins to further distance herself from her estranged mother, Evelyn.
After burying their patriarch, the family is visited by India's Uncle,
Charlie. Charlie seems a little out there, and begins to form a sketchy
relationship with India that suggests Uncle Charlie may desire more
than family bonding.
To elaborate any more would spoil the film, but needless to say it's an
interesting premise. The story unfolds very slowly, with few dramatic
developments until the second half of the film, which contains much
more wizz-bang than the somber and meticulously paced beginning. This
isn't a bad thing, largely because the characters are so fascinating
from the get-go that accompanying them while they go about their day to
day lives is a pleasure. Even when the movie seems to be resting on its
laurels early on, the performances are great all around (in particular
Wasikowska's performance as distant and on-edge India). Except for a
few odd holes, the script stays strong throughout, providing plenty of
great dialogue courtesy of Wentworth Miller (you read that right,the
dude from Resident Evil: Afterlife. Who saw that coming?).
Of course, the strongest link in the chain is Chan-wook Park. From the
opening scene of fragmented shots with computer generated transitions
that occur throughout the movie, his mark is clearly laid on the film.
Stoker never has an ugly moment, and each shot oozes with that
distinctive Chan-wook flair. My personal favorite is an early scene in
a basement involving a swinging light fixture (think Once upon a time
in the West). The only thing that feels absent compared to CWP's other
efforts is a slew of neasea-indusing scenes whose only purpose is to
shock the audience. Although Stoker has a few jarring moments (think
showers), for the most part its very restrained compared to Chan-wook's
other works. This is fine up until the last act, when the nature of the
story demanded for a more powerful and shocking denouement then what
was given. So despite not quite sticking the landing, Stoker is
effectively creepy, well acted, and an enjoyable beginning to what I
hope will be a long English language career for Chan-wook Park.
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