Overview
India Stoker is no ordinary girl. In Park Chan-wook's newest thriller, her life is flipped around with the death of her father, and the discovery of dark family secrets.
The film is a surreal adolescent coming-of-age film with a dark twist. India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) is a bright straight-A student, who is unusually acutely aware of her senses. On the day of her 18th birthday her father dies in a shocking car crash, and her uncle who she didn't even know existed, mysteriously turns up. Her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), and her always-suave and charismatic uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) warm up to each other unusually quickly sparking rumors across town.
Meanwhile, India discovers a darker side to her uncle and begins to question who he is, and why she feels so drawn to him. The film skids across the real and unreal as India decides what it means to be a Stoker.
It's a beautiful and mysterious film to watch, encapsulating the genres of family drama, psychological thriller, horror, and coming of age. Stylistically the film darts between being absolutely dream-like to having sudden sharp jolts of horror, with many unexpected twists. Mia Wasikowska's interpretation of India is deeply enigmatic, and both Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman deliver exceptional performances. With such amazing and natural performances and dialogue it's crazy to think the whole film was directed via translator, since director Park Chan-wook doesn't actually speak English.
Park Chan-wook is a legendary award-winning Korean director. Among his many acclaims, he received the Cannes' Grand Prix award for his film Oldboy. Across the board his films have the distinct quality of feeling like a nightmarish dream. His new thriller film Stoker written by Wentworth Miller is no exception.
