Wow, I did not know what I was in for when I decided to watch Stoker. I watched
the trailer and was enticed to give it a try. At that time I did not know that this is the first English-language film from South Korean director Chan-Wook Park. Actually I did not know that Park was famous for his psychological thrillers. Well that is exactly what I saw, an intense, difficult to understand psychological thriller. It stars Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode.
India (Wasikowska) has just lost her father to a car accident. Since they were relatively close with one another, India isn't taking the loss very well. She is incredibly withdrawn, doesn't speak much, and her behavior is unusual. India's mother Evelyn (Kidman) is only barely keeping it together as she's trying to move on with her life, but her defense mechanism kicks in whenever somebody brings up her husband's name. Charlie (Goode), an uncle India never even knew existed, moves in and makes matters even more uncomfortable than they already are. His questionable motives only pique India's fascination with Charlie and the Stoker family becomes more than a little unsettling because of it.
Stoker relies on creepy and disturbing behavior that continues to snowball until the end. We witness India pop a blister on her toe and the film plays with how keen her sense of hearing is. The long-shot of the camera following India through the house is intriguing, but even more so is the way the film transitions from one scene to the next; a hard-boiled egg slowly turns into India's eye and Evelyn's brushed hair becomes the tall grass in the field India and her father are hunting in.
I still do not think I understand what I saw, but I still highly recommend this movie.