This was one of the last films co-produced by Tony Scott,
who sadly died shortly after production ended, but this is not your typical
Hollywood thriller. First thing that
impacts and changes the trend is that it is directed by the world renowned
Chan-wook Park, director of the Vengeance
Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance 2002,
Oldboy 2003, Lady Vengeance 2005). Luckily
the script allowed Park to breathe and express his unique directing style that
Korean film fans would be used to, a style that emphasises the disturbed nature
of his own screenplays and those he chooses to direct.
Park was able to display his directing talent in Stoker due to the quietness of the
script. Wentworth Miller, who is best
known for his acting role as the delectable Michael Schofield in Prison Break, makes his writing debut with
Stoker, which is virtually unbelievable
considering how everything included in this film is relevant and thought
through, nothing is said or seen without purpose, the continuity is faultless
both in story and scenes. Even what is
being narrated on the television in the background of two scenes; “Prey does
not suspect it is taken by surprise”, is perfectly fitting to the story. This attention to detail and accuracy should
be envied by even experienced screenplay writers.
This film tells the story of a fiercely anti-social young
lady, India Stoker, who protects her personal space with bitter determination
not even letting her mother close. It is about her coping with the loss of her
father, who was her best friend, who happened to meet his demise on her
birthday and her beginning to realise that their hobby, hunting, was not just a
hobby but an education. As she states:
sometimes one “needs to do something bad to stop you from doing something
worse”. It is also undeniably a story of
murder and suspense, but this could almost be argued as secondary to India’s
own revelation of what the time spent with her father really meant. It can virtually be compared to the
back-story behind the TV series Dexter.
From the opening scene the use of sound, or distinct lack
of, hits the audience with an unnerving wave, all you hear is the wind, it has
a unique start where the opening credits are paused in conjunction with the
frame freezing allowing the audience to appreciate the beautiful imagery and
cinematography; although you later learn that this peaceful opening scene is
not all that it seems.
The first character presented is India Stoker, played by Mia
Wasikowska, the upcoming actress who remarkably resembles a young Claire Danes
and played an endearing role in 2012’s instant classic Lawless as Shia Labeouf’s love interest.
One of the first things you witness India doing is popping a
blister with a needle, gross? Yes! But it sets the tone for the rest of the
film, the audience knows straight off the bat what they are in for, the
magnifying of the little details (including insects in true Park style) and
sounds.
Following this lovely scene the rest of the Stoker family
are brought together at the father’s, Richard Stoker’s (Dermot Mulroney),
funeral. Here it is subtly implied that
India believes she has seen her father at his own funeral, which adds to the
tension that is already beginning to build with the score. However it turns out to be the barking mad Uncle
Charlie (Matthew Goode) whom India has never previously heard about but
proceeds to move into their family home and change their lives forever.
This influence over the remaining Stoker’s is done in a
progression of slow but disarmingly charming commands; he is undeniably as much
of a suave character as he is insane. It
is easy to see how the mother, Evie Stoker, (played by the impeccable Nicole
Kidman), falls for his apparent sophistication.
Although at first India is weary of Uncle Charlie, even coming out with
one of the best lines: “we don’t need to be friends we are family”; later a duet
at the grand piano starts the incestuous inappropriateness that appears to
change her attitude toward him, however the audience is left wondering whether
this is India revelling in a daydream…
The pace is slow and deliberated but the turning point in
the movie is when Aunty Gwen arrives (played by Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver). It
is a turning point as it gets edgier as she arrives with a warning. But it still remains at the same pace, Park
includes scenes of the characters walking, which is inconsequential for the
progression of the plot but does distinctly add to the pre-existing tension and
suspense.
What is interesting about India’s character is the
unpredictability of her actions, which is in contrast to Uncle Charlie’s whose,
some may argue, are predictable; but its India’s reaction to these that will
shock. The lifestyle of the Stokers is
also shockingly old fashioned, with maids, old décor, old music and clothes but
the setting is modern day, which is only really made obvious by the fact they have
mobile phones. The key to the story is
the key from the birthday box (seen in the opening scenes), which you never
quite know for sure who left and is the key to the family secrets; the story
then unravels quite rapidly in contrast to the overall pace of the film.
The most compelling aspect of this film was the use of sound
(both diegetic and non-diegetic), from hearing every crack of a boiled egg being
rolled on a table drowning out the gossip at the wake, to the sound of a
bloodied pencil being sharpened after it has been used as weapon. The most effective use of sound to convey the
frightful nature of a scene to the audience is when the murderer loosens his
belt and you hear it slip through every loophole of his trousers; what makes
this use of sound even more powerful is how it coincides and merges with one of
India’s morbid discoveries. In fact
there are a number of occasions where sounds from previous scenes are overlaid
on the next which makes it not only unnerving but helps it flow seamlessly.
Considering the big names behind this film it seems to have
slipped slightly beneath the radar, which is a shame as it is one of the best
suspense driven psychological thrillers since Hitchcock, including a shower
scene that rivals that of Psycho for
being memorably disturbing.
Go see this if you like suspense that doesn’t make you jump,
beautiful scenes, and nutters. 9 out 10.
