I should probably start out by saying something that is going to be a major point to keep in mind throughout this review - Park Chan-Wook's Stoker is definitely not a film for everyone. The mixed reception it's receving now is further testimony to this fact, and I feel it bears repeating now. I mean, while watching it, I liked what I was seeing, but I could also see this was definitely gonna be a film that would alienate a lot of people.
...and I just watched a few of you already leave assuming that was the review. Cheap buggers.
Anyway, allow me to explain further. Best known to viewers over here for his violent and squirm-inducing adaptation of the manga Oldboy, Chan Wook-Park makes his first foray into English language-film. The result is a bit of an enigma, but certainly a memorable one.
"Yes, yes, we all remember how Oldboy ended. But this isn't that film, so stop asking your uncle to cut out his tongue."
The title of the film comes from the surname of the family its plot unfolds around, most notably young India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska, playing something of a cypher, though given the nature of her character, it works well.) As the film begins, her father (played by Dermot Mulroney in flashbacks) has been killed in a car accident. At the funeral, she and her mother (Nicole Kidman, going from distant and troubled mother to ruthless ice queen quite effortlessly) are visited by her previously unknown uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode.) Alongside having never met the man before, India finds herself uncertain of Charlie - he's outgoing and charming, and makes efforts to engage her, despite her generally antisocial behavior. Despite this, there is a lingering suspicion that there is more to him than he's willing to let on. Naturally, these suspicions prove to be right (to be expected...while you could make a film just on paranoia, it isn't as likely to happen.) As more people try to discover Charlie's secrets, more people disappear, and India finds herself being drawn further and further into his orbit.
'Heart and Soul' has never been creepier...
Despite how that might make it sound, Chan-Wook's direction, and the editing and cinematography by Nicolas De Toth and Chung-hoon Chung (respectively) are still very present in the movie. Every shot of this film feels carefully arranged, and in many cases creates some very involving scenes. I know a lot of people have criticized this style as over-edited and needlessly stylized, but honestly, I'd be inclined to disagree. It's definitely not a style I'd like to see applied to every movie, but for the story this one is trying to tell, it's a good fit. Further, it actually makes an impression just in how the entire film looks. Given my druthers, I'd take an overly stylized film that may not necessarily click over something that just doesn't have any really distinctive identity of its own in its direction or editing-But I digress. While I can see where the criticisms may be coming from in this case, personally, I felt the very controlled style of the movie worked in its favor.
On a not really humorous note - this scene actually leads to a pretty cool transition shot.
Further adding to the feel of this movie is the score by Clint Mansell. Once again, the man proves his strength in understanding the story and creating atmospheric music that really helps set a tone. This is one of the best things I can say for Stoker - everything in it works together well to really create a film with a very distinct feel for itself. It's a microcosm, a sort of parallel world to our own, simultaneously feeling like ours but through a dark lens.
As far as the rest of the elements of the movie go, I want to further build on what I said before by saying the casting on this works well. Alongside the earlier statements of Wasikowska and Kidman, Goode makes for a good antagonist, all smiles, but all the while giving the feeling of something sinister waiting to make itself known behind those grins. (On this note, I should probably look into more of his work - the only roles I've seen him in to this point, he's been largely playing those characters with something of a hinted at malevolence. He does it well, but I really should see if he's got the range for other parts.) For only being featured in flashbacks, Mulroney still manages to make his part worth it, as his character is the film's heart/conscience, both for the general story and for India. He is the one person we see her interact with where there isn't some semblance of detachment or malevolence, and his performance really helps bring that out.
With that note, I have to say, the script on this is an intriguing one. Far from being a straight-up thriller, it plays into some interesting, and disturbing, ideas about family and legacies that can be passed along. This particularly informs the last act (which I can't say too much about without spoilers) and leads to a climax that is likely to leave a lot of people trying to determine what message they walk away from the film with. It's definitely an ending that doesn't mind just presenting the events and going "so...what do you think of that?" Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson have constructed an unsettling narrative that builds up with just enough clues at any given time to keep you going and (mostly) avoiding making a complete 'A-HA!' reveal (the end kind of slips some here, but not enough to really kill the movie.) To their credit, the twist was going to be a bit of a hurdle regardless - from the start of the movie, you can tell there's something lurking that is just waiting for an opportunity to float to the surface. So in a way, you're already waiting for it, which makes it hard for the writers to still properly surprise when the time comes. To their credit, while some parts of it are still somewhat predicted, they do manage to make up for that in the execution - offering turns that, even if you're trying to guess them, you'd be hard-pressed to fish out of the plot before the writers want you to find them.
The result is a film that can, and has, proven its mileage will vary. Some will like it, some will love it, but it's also going to turn off a LOT of people with it style and content. For my own vote, I have to say it honestly worked well for me. While Chan-Wook still seems to be learning the ropes of English language film, this is still a fascinating first step into it, and I hope he doesn't lose the edge he has here with subsequent projects. Even the parts that may not click with everyone are something of a strength here - giving the film a voice that's actually fairly distinct rather than simply blending into the noise of a lot of the other releases for this time of year. Despite my warnings that your mileage will vary, I do still think it's worth at least giving it a chance if you can to see what you think of it. I won't guarantee you're going to like it, but at the very least, it's worth taking the try to see what you think regardless.
Suffice it to say, this made for a pretty interesting release to get this year started off with. Hopefully this marks the end of the 'meh' phase the first part of this year has had. It will be nice to be looking forward to things on the horizon again.
Till next time, folks!
In the meantime, heed the advice of the Third Row's token creepy uncle - always remember your umbrella.
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