South Korean
filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Thirst) made his name with disturbing
thrillers with splashes of aberrant sexuality and shocking body horror, and his
English-language debut is a confident continuation of the director’s usual
style and themes in a Shakespeare-via-Hitchcockian narrative. Stoker is a unique slow-burn thriller
which is highly visually effective in creating an unsettling and disturbing
viewing experience, with a unique screenplay by Wentworth Miller which will
keep you on the edge of your seat just trying to figure out what will happen
next.
Mia Wasikowska heads up the cast as India
Stoker, an antisocial teenager whose father has just died in a tragic accident,
leaving her and her mother (Nicole Kidman) to grieve. The death of her father
also brings a visiting uncle (Matthew Goode), whose intentions are unclear. He
draws closer to India ’s
mother, but seems to share more in common with the dark India
Things move slowly
in Stoker, though this allows for the
tension and suspense to build. We are not given a direct line into the thinking
and logic of the film’s characters, and therefore their actions often come as a
surprise. Park’s films invite us to
watch the actions of his characters, rarely ever inviting us to empathize with
what they are feeling. Some may find Stoker is too full of unlikable or
disturbing characters, but the excellence in the filmmaking makes this a
compelling film despite any emotional detachment it requires.
The Blu-ray
release of Stoker includes a digital HD instant stream and download. The
special features on the disc include a promotional featurette, three making-of
features, a handful of deleted scenes and some red carpet premiere footage,
including a performance by Emily Wells. There are actually quite a few extras
for a small thriller like this.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Disc Features: 8/10
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