'Stoker' employs cinematic tricks that don't impress
No, 鈥�Stoker鈥� isn鈥檛 about vampires, although, from a commercial standpoint, it might be better if it were. Directed by South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook in his English-language debut, it鈥檚 an overweeningly stylish horror fantasia about India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska), a precocious high schooler with an unnatural fixation on her unnatural uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode). Her father recently died mysteriously and her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), has allowed Charlie to reside indefinitely in their expansive homestead. Evelyn appears to be just about as ga-ga as Charlie 鈥� neither of them blink a lot 鈥� but India turns out to be just about as wacko. She doesn鈥檛 blink much, either.
Park employs all manner of cinematic derring-do 鈥� shock cuts, off-kilter compositions, discontinuous storytelling 鈥� all to no great purpose other than to make us go 鈥淲ow.鈥� A more appropriate response might be, 鈥淗uh?鈥� Grade: C (Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content.)
