Review of Stoker (2013) by Midlands M — 19 Oct 2013

A tense psychological thriller from the director who gave us OldBoy amongst his work and dark family secrets are again explored in his first English-language film written somewhat surprisingly by Wentworth Miller of Prison Break fame.

Mia Wasikowska (Lawless, Alice in Wonderland) plays India Stoker, a gothic social outcast who grieves for her recently deceased father along with her mother Evelyn (a strangely-lipped Nicole Kidman). Into their lives comes Uncle Charlie played by Matthew Goode (Adrian Veidt from Watchmen) who is back from his travels and begins to intimately integrate himself into the two women's lives.

Avoiding any happy ever after clichés, the film has sinister fairy tale imagery from wooded copses, creepy spiders, dreamy landscapes and phallic rocks to heighten the Hitchcockian themes of betrayal, deception and revenge and each of the trio of actors bring their "A" game to the dinner table with strangely winning performances.

A social drama with a mythic quality, this film has an impish allure that hypnotized me with its twisting narrative, bold images and multi-layered fetishes that subverted the superficial vampire/Lolita subject matter it drew upon.

A far-fetched but fascinating fable, Stoker add fuels to Chan-Wook's already impressive cinema CV and strengthens his case to continue to create even more enigmatic tales. Midlands Movies Mike 7.5/10.