Stoker

             There are many choices out there when it comes to movies to watch. Some people love movies with great writing that will have you quoting dialogue. Then there are the people who pay attention to the visuals they are shown, opting to be wowed by what they see. This year we have seen our introduction of two of Korea’s better directors. Earlier this year we saw Jee-woon Kim with “The Last Stand”, and now we are introduced to Chan-wook Park, with his visually stunning “Stoker”

           India (Mia Wasikowska) is one of those smart and quiet girls we all knew in high school. On her eighteen birthday her father dies in a freak accident. India’s mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) had been the outsider when it came to India and her father’s relationship, but is now India’s sole guardian. That changes rather quickly when Charlie (Matthew Goode) shows up, telling India that he is her uncle. Charlie has been away in Europe on business, but it looks like he is hiding something. Charlie seems to have a high interest in India; maybe more than an uncle should have in his niece. India and Charlie seem to be playing some sort of game, but you can’t quite put your finger on what it is. What you can see is that everyone in the Stoker family seems to be hiding something.

        I will say right off the bat, that if you are looking for a good family movie or maybe a date movie, this may not be for you. If you have never seen any of Park’s previous movies, you may not like what you are getting yourself into. “Stoker” is one of those movies some people will really love, while others may not like it at all. The movie is not a happy movie, but it will make you feel good. The way Park tells the story with the camera is inspiring. The words always seem secondary, because the camera tells everything the words are trying to say. Wasikowska is perfect in a role that relies more on her reactions than on what she says. Kidman and Goode also seem to be perfect for their roles. Movie lovers will love this movie, because it doesn’t fit into a mold, it is its own movie. As polarizing as it can be, some people will just plain hate it, because they don’t know what to make of it. I can tell you what it is, “Stoker” is a really good movie, it just might not be for everyone.

 

Brian Taylor