New film plays on Hitchcock, humor to balance weak script
“Stoker,” a Southern Gothic thriller/horror film, walks a thin line between terror and silliness with questionable character motivation. But boy, does it have style to spare.
Mia Wasikowska (Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Kids Are All Right”) plays India Stoker, an emotionally unbalanced teenager (putting it lightly), who is a mix of Wednesday Addams without the pigtails and Carrie without the telekinesis and blazing flames.
Her father Richard, played in flashbacks by Dermot Mulroney, dies in a car accident on her 18th birthday, leaving her in the care of her mother Evelyn (played by Nicole Kidman), a cold-hearted woman who never quite connected with her daughter. The tragedy brings another change to the family dynamic. India’s uncle, Charles (Matthew Goode), appears at Richard’s funeral after being absent all of India’s life. He continues to stay at the Stoker house and quickly seduces Evelyn. But India can tell under the smoldering charm that her uncle is hiding dark secrets.
The film is directed by South Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park, who is probably best known for his film “Oldboy,” and scripted by “Prison Break” star Wentworth Miller. The film is clearly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943). In both films a young girl meets her uncle, and eventually trouble and murder ensue. In the hands of a lesser director, the plot of “Stoker” would make your eyes roll. But Park so masterfully directs this darkly funny thriller that your eyes never want to leave the screen. Every shot, camera movement and camera angle brims with cinematic flair. Even in quite ridiculous scenes, he directs them with such panache and wit that the audience unquestioningly goes along with it.
“Stoker” has some graphic violence, but for most of the film the director builds tension through distinct lighting, specific camera placement and overpowering sound.
Wasikowska is rapidly becoming the Meryl Streep of her generation; she captivates the audience in many scenes without dialogue, using only her piercing eyes to send the message. Goode is handsome and alluring as the uncle. He is so good in the role that he’s actually funny.
Without giving anything away, it must be said that Charles’ motivation for his actions in the film is never fully explained. The script also never gives a good reason Evelyn and India never connected.
The film doesn’t need these explanations, but it would have made the characters’ motives more believable or relatable. On the other hand, the filmmakers most likely held the characters at arm’s length from the audience to add to the sinister tone.
The film flips between being fiendishly fun and overly artsy. The final scene, which circles back to the very beginning of the film, is so wonderfully sick that it left me with a big grin on my face.
While a minor film by a major filmmaker, “Stoker” is worth seeing just to see Park play. It is a great example of a director making the best of a flawed script.