Film: Stoker

Director: Chan-wook Park
Genre: Thriller
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Blu-ray
Grade: B-

Stoker is an interesting thing. Aiming at an updated take on Hitchcock (anytime creepy Uncle Charlie shows up you know we're in Shadow of a Doubt territory), Park creates a beautiful, moody, and atmospheric picture that dances around Hitchcock's favorite themes: voyeurism, sex, violence, murder . . . it's all here. So why didn't I like it more? Why did it leave me a little cold and disengaged rather than drawing me in?

Certainly there are some nice twists. A shower scene, in particular, starts out as one thing and then creepily turns in to something different (and unexpected). And the camera work really is fascinating. An early scene between the three main characters is framed and cut so strangely that never are all three in the same shot, and it's not even clear whether they're in the same room. That kind of trickery works at the themes of disconnect Park is going for, and it does use framing and blocking to convey a lot of information innovatively. The movie is consistently beautiful, in design, in color, in shots that look like paintings, even in the transitions used.

But somehow the whole thing left me unengaged. Perhaps that is part of the point, so that we as audience are drawn into India's view. But more than that I think I just got a little disconnected and bored. Though the scene above surprised me, other twists seemed much more predictable.

It's not a bad movie, and it's smart filmmaking. It just didn't really work for me.

Alternate Film Title: "Mia Wasikowska Forgets How to Smile"