India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) has just turned 18 years old when the sudden news of her beloved father's passing comes around. Just as she and her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) are left to pick up the pieces, along comes Mr. Stoker's brother, Charlie (Matthew Goode), who agrees to help Evelyn and India grieve and settle accounts.
By all means, Charlie is one charming uncle. For one thing, he's handsome, charismatic, and one of the most likable (in fact, he's probably the only truly likable person in the whole film) people you could ever meet. That's probably why Evelyn takes such a liking to him (and I use that phrase very heavily).
India, however, is less inviting. She keeps her distance, and for good reason; she didn't even know that she had an uncle until the funeral for her father. And as charming as Uncle Charlie is, there's something sinister about him... how he's always so eager to do things, always lurking around the corner. Charlie's sunny and charming demeanor doesn't fit the gothic, beautifully glum mis en scene the story is set against. He sticks out like a sore thumb.
The film takes many cues from Hitchcock; it's a love letter to Hitchcock, more so than the film based on Hitchcock that came out last year was. However, even by using the many familiar cues and plot devices, Stoker finds its own identity in the suffocatingly bizarre direction, complimented by the gorgeous cinematography. Each shot is carefully crafted with a signature tough establishing this film as none other than Chan-wook's; the plot works like a carefully built clock, ticking closer to its conclusion slowly, and loudly in the viewer's ear to remind them to be on their guard, even if the beautiful scenes invite you to relax.
Mia Wasikowska is an interesting actress, continuing to pick and choose different projects. She could've been the passive female lead in some big budget action movie and made a killing after her (true) debut in Tim Burton's disappointing Alice and Wonderland. However, she's followed up with films like The Kids Are All Right, Jane Eyre, Lawless, and now Stoker, which proves she's a very versatile and capable young actress. Goode is also good as the ominously charming Charlie; you buy his act every step of the way, and even if you don't trust him, you can't help but let your guard down when he's on screen.
But the true standout of the cast is certainly Nicole Kidman, who could've went one way with the role of an unstable mother, but went in a completely different (and more difficult) direction. Kidman plays Evelyn like a true person, not a caricature. We've seen many mothers like her before who chew every piece of scenery, and even some of the characters in sight (ahem... I'm looking at you, Melissa Leo of The Fighter); they're loud, obnoxious divas who scream LOOK AT ME I'M ACTING. As entertaining as these characters may be, they're hardly real people. Evelyn Stoker could have been one of these cases, but Kidman's determination and master level acting prevents that. She's messy, and yes she is a bit of a diva. But her "big scene" is nuanced and understated in a way that matches the film's quietly morose tone, and hats off to Kidman for proving she can do loud and obnoxious with last year's The Paperboy, but still pull off quiet and nuanced; she remains one of the greats
Stoker is one of the strangest, most unique thrillers I've seen in recent memory. It combines elements of different genres for a gorgeously rendered experience. I regret not watching sooner, but I'm glad I watched at all. It's a great entry in an equally amazing year for film.
Grade: 8/10
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