Stoker

 

 

Despite not giving away any plot details whatsoever the trailer for Stoker was enough to convince me that I wanted to see the film.

PLOT:  Following the death of her father India’s (Mia Wasikowska) estranged uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) moves into the family home that she shares with her mother Evie (Nicole Kidman).  It is only after India makes a gruesome discovery that she begins to take an unhealthy interest in her uncle.  END PLOT

The only way I can describe the plot of Stoker without giving away major spoilers is that it is essentially the coming of age story of a budding sociopath. 

The script is very light on dialogue which means that quite a lot of the scenes rely on the casts’ acting abilities to get their emotions across.  Luckily they are more than up to the task and several of the dialogue free scenes are filled with genuine tension.

Mia Wasikowska is surely one of the best young actresses around and in Stoker she once again proves why.  Wasikowska manages to come across as delicate and hard as nails at the same time which is a testament to her talent.

Kidman is as reliable as ever and Matthew Goode is effectively creepy as the mysterious Charlie Stoker.

Stoker is a gorgeous film with the cinematography being absolutely stunning.   There isn’t a dud shot in the entire film.

The only real complaint I would have is that although the pacing was deliberately slow it did make a 98min film feel much longer.  Stoker felt long but I was always invested in the film and never felt bored.

I know that Stoker is a great film – the performances and the cinematography were second to none but when it comes down to it I have no love for it and will fall into the category of great films that will only be watched one.  Stoker gets 8.5/10.