That one almost passed me by. I'm not sure STOKER even screened in my city, because I didn't even know it was out until yesterday. If it did, major local cinemas probably turned it down. There is this dichotomy about American films that they should both make money and be art, but make money first. To a certain extent this dichotomy touches every artists trying to make a living in a market-based economy, but it's more pronounced in cinema. In that regards, STOKER is more the Sistine Chapel than the Klondike but despite that it's not really a user-friendly flick, it's still a great flick.
There are two types of audiences for narrative arts. Those who understand tension and those who don't. STOKER is all about tension, so if you're the type of person to hate a movie because "nothing is ever happening," stop reading this review and move on. You'll be just fine. Still reading? All right, Wentworth Miller's scenario (yes, that Wentworth Miller) is mixing different sources of tension, both mundane and extraordinary, which results is a pretty intoxicating cocktail. Nicole Kidman's character's grief is one source. She wants to appear strong and dignified, but the suffering is poking through her facade. The ghost of India's relationship to her father also weights against her mom. The mystery around Charlie (which makes a good portion of why he is so damn seducing). The shrouded family history gradually revealed. India's growing sexual urges. All these sources of tension form the fascinating, explosive situation the remains of the Stoker family have to work through. It's great storytelling, interweaving the mundane and the borderline surreal in such intricate fashion.
Mia Wasikowska leads a terrific cast.
The unlikely team of Chan-Wook Park and Wentworth Miller should think about collaborating again, because they understand each other very well. Park's reading of Miller's screenplay is both thorough and sensitive. He gives life to inner struggles, through poetic imagery and patient filmmaking. A lot of STOKER lies on the on-set chemistry and the cast pulls it off. Matthew Goode and Mia Wasikowska are so great together, they leave Nicole Kidman in the dust. They understand the slow, predatory nature of the movie and help emphasizing the details, which are at the heart of STOKER. It's slow, subtle and even graceful in its own, tainted way. It represents an evolution in Chan-Wook Park's career arc, who leave the juvenile approach to blood and gore to focus on what's important, good visual storytelling. It's still a bloody movie, it's just more timely here, therefore the more violent scenes matter more.
Movies untouched by the dirty hands of the movie-executive-who-doesn't-like-movies are usually good, because their artistic vision, despite being idiosyncratic, is cohesive. STOKER struck me as a movie where everybody was on the same page. It created a powerful vision of a family going through a series of difficult changes. I remained soaking into STOKER's universe several hours after finishing the movie. Its unique, timeless, haunting atmosphere is a sight to behold. It doesn't have the emotional power of Chan-Wook Park's masterpiece SYMPATHY FOR MR.VENGEANCE, but it comes quite close. I'd go as far as saying that STOKER is his most original and sophisticated effort yet.
BADASS
* In case you're culturally challenged, but I'm sure you're not.