India finds herself drawn to her mysterious uncle, but also very wary of him. Meanwhile, Charlie begins to romance his older brother’s widow, all the while keeping his eye on India. Soon, India finds herself coming out of her shell a bit, as she realizes she relates to Charlie more than her own distant mother. As India begins to discover the adult that is waiting to emerge from her, she sees her life through completely new eyes. Will she embrace her family and her heritage or will she become something altogether new?
Stoker is a bizarre film from beginning to end. The premise and trailers intrigued me, but they didn’t prepare me for what unfolds throughout the film. It’s almost a cat and mouse game, a dangerous dance between Charlie and India, made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that they are related. In fact, it seems director Park’s intention throughout the film was to create discomfort for the viewer, whether it was his incredibly long (but beautiful) camera shots that held just a tad too long or the peculiar clothing India wore, like she was timeless and could have lived at any time from the 50’s until now. Make no mistake, Stoker is a disturbing film on multiple levels.
The sets and scenery are quite beautiful in the varying shades of green ...and Stoker on high def Blu-ray is the way to watch it. The eerie background sounds and mysterious silences only help to sell the feel of the film. "Become the Color" by Emily Wells closes out the credits and it's one of the most fitting songs I've ever heard for a movie.
Special features are plentiful and include deleted scenes, a handful of behind the scenes featurettes, image galleries and coverage of the Red Carpet premiere which occured in Park Chan-wook's homeland of South Korea. One of the most interesting tidbits of info is the fact that the screenplay was written by Wentworth Miller of Prison Break fame across a span of about eight years, but the featurettes are loaded with fascinating info about filming, set design and bringing the screenplay to life.
Stoker is exquisitely shot and will keep you guessing from beginning to end. It's what I would call unexpected because as the plot twists about like a snake, you will find yourself wondering who you are supposed to root for in the film. It has a startling ending and is definitely not your average thriller. I'm not sure whether to recommend it or not because after I watched it, I found myself surprised and a little bit disturbed. However, the acting is stupendous on all accounts. If you like your thrillers more than a little "off," then check out Stoker.
