After India’s father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whom she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman). Soon after his arrival, India (Mia Wasikowska) begins to suspect this mysterious, charming man has disturbing ulterior motives, but instead of feeling outrage or horror, the friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.
Visionary film-maker Park Chan-wook (Old Boy) returns with another macabre story, one that marks his first venture into English-language cinema. Armed with an inspired script, a world-class cast, and a wickedly playful nature, he subverts audience expectations by employing delightful visual trickery and placing a magnet over the moral compass of the film, giving complex and sympathetic motivations for the characters’ violent actions. Featuring a gasp-inducing performance from Nicole Kidman, Stoker is a haunting, Hitchcockian tale as unsettling as it is stunning.
Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival
