Review of Stoker (2013) by Marjorie T — 07 Dec 2013

I really wanted to write a review for this movie as soon as I got home from seeing it, but I didn't really have any words to describe how I was feeling. I'm still kinda feeling all over the place about it, so I'll just try to throw out some random thoughts.

It really is going to be hard to give a summary about this movie without giving away the plot, but I'll try.

Basically, this movie is about a girl, India Stoker, who is coping with the recent death of her father. She lives with her mom and nanny. Suddenly, the brother of her father, Charlie, turns up out of nowhere. No one has ever met Charlie or even heard of him. They didn't know he existed. And Charlie is very good looking, charming, and...weird. That doesn't seem to bother the mother too much. She takes an instant liking to him, so Charlie moves in. This is where things get really interesting. From the moment India meets Charlie, there's a palatable tension. You can't tell if it's hate, attraction, or some sort of telepathic familial connection. It could be all three. And 'Stoker' plays with all three possibilities in a way that keeps you on edge, waiting to see how things will develop and unravel. What is apparent before the end though is that the title 'Stoker' has a dual meaning. Uncle Charlie is India's 'stoker' in many ways. I wasn't prepared for the character development and arc in India. I thought this movie was going to be sort of homage to 'Hamlet', but it takes a sharp left turn and sort of thumbs its nose up at convention. In every way really.

The way this movie was shot and edited is really startling. I usually don't notice things like that, but here it's really purposefully jarring. Scenes freeze, and rewind and play again. Or they just freeze and pause before playing on. At first it was kinda annoying. I thought it was over stylized in a way that pulls you out of the story. It's hard to suspend belief when someone is playing with the pictures meant to pull you into their world. But after a while, you see that the film's weird and disturbing use of freeze frames and repetition is also telling India's story.

And India's story is very disturbing. It reminded me a lot of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It's a very blunt and unsettling look at a type of person that we all know exists but can't, or don't want to understand. I'm not sure Stoker really helps you understand, but it gives you a very intimate glimpse into their mind.

I know i'm going to watch this movie again, because it did take me awhile to get over the camera tricks and the shock of what I was seeing. But its really good, so watching it again won't be a chore.