STOKER
If you’re a movie buff, you’ve probably seen OLDBOY. You’ve likely also seen THE HANDMAIDEN, my personal favorite of Park Chan-Wook’s films. But, it’s possible you’ve missed STOKER (trailer here), Park’s first and sole English-language feature (although I would be remiss not to mention his excellent English-language limited series THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL here as well). STOKER stars Mia Wasikowska as India Stoker, an aloof teenager with an affinity for the macabre, and Nicole Kidman as her emotionally unstable mother. When India’s father dies, a handsome and mysterious stranger named Charlie (Matthew Goode) arrives at the funeral, claiming to be his estranged brother. As Charlie forms a complex connection with both Stoker women, his identity becomes increasingly unclear. STOKER has all the delicious melodrama and kinkiness of a Park Chan-Wook project but heightens it almost to a level of camp. The result is akin to what it would feel like if a Lifetime movie were directed by one of the world’s greatest living auteurs. This slow-burn psychological thriller is just as lush and sensual as it is graphically violent, punctuated with a gorgeous score by Clint Mansell and brought to life by some truly haunting lead performances.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
