Stoker (2013)

After India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, whom she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writer:

Wentworth Miller

Stars:

Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode

4 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mia Wasikowska	...	India Stoker
Nicole Kidman	...	Evelyn Stoker
David Alford	...	Reverend
Matthew Goode	...	Charles Stoker
Peg Allen	...	Housekeeper 1
Lauren E. Roman	...	Housekeeper 2 (as Lauren Roman)
Phyllis Somerville	...	Mrs. McGarrick
Harmony Korine	...	Mr. Feldman
Lucas Till	...	Pitts
Alden Ehrenreich	...	Whip
Dominick 'Dino' Howard	...	Pitts' Friend
Jacki Weaver	...	Gwendolyn Stoker
Dermot Mulroney	...	Richard Stoker
Tyler von Tagen	...	Young Richard Stoker
Thomas A. Covert	...	Young Charles Stoker (as Thomas Covert)

Storyline

India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) was not prepared to lose her father and best friend Richard (Dermot Mulroney) in a tragic auto accident. The solitude of her woodsy family estate, the peace of her tranquil town, and the unspoken somberness of her home life are suddenly upended by not only this mysterious accident, but by the sudden arrival of her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who she never knew existed. When Charlie moves in with her and her emotionally unstable mother Evie (Nicole Kidman), India thinks the void left by her father's death is finally being filled by his closest bloodline. Soon after his arrival, India comes to suspect that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives. Yet instead of feeling outrage or horror, this friendless young woman becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

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Plot Keywords:

oxford saddle shoes | breast fondling | hitchcockian | dead body | piano | 

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Taglines:

La inocencia termina aquí (Innocence ends here)

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Brazil]

Country:

UK South Korea USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

28 February 2013 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Lazos perversos

Filming Locations:

Smyrna, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$160,547, 3 March 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,702,277, 5 May 2013

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,356,992, 9 May 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Indian Paintbrush, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Datasat SDDS Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wentworth Miller released the script under the pseudonym of Ted Foulke.

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Goofs

(at around 57 mins) When India is pressing the number of Auntie Gin on her cellphone, she doesn't press the call button, but the end call button. In the next shot, her cellphone displays clock, not the dialing number.

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Quotes

[first lines]
India Stoker: My ears hear what others cannot hear; small faraway things people cannot normally see are visible to me. These senses are the fruits of a lifetime of longing, longing to be rescued, to be completed. Just as the skirt needs the wind to billow, I'm not formed by things that are of myself alone. I wear my father's belt tied around my mother's blouse, and shoes which are from my uncle. This is me. Just as a flower does not choose its color, we are not responsible for what we have come ...

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Crazy Credits

The credits scroll from top to bottom of the screen, rather than bottom to top, like in most scrolling end credits.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

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Soundtracks

Stoker Piano Duet #1
Written by Philip Glass
Performed by Sugar Vendil and Trevor Gureckis

User Reviews

Disturbing and beautiful

"Stoker" is a beautiful, twisted, hypnotic trance - it's meant for an audience not overly concrete in it's thinking but who have an open imagination and are able to take the plunge into the darkly poetic vision of it's director. "Stoker" doesn't exist in a normal, everyday reality - it's more of an alternative dream reality, hyper-aware and sexually charged. The three principle actors are superb, but Mia Wasikowska really gives the film a beating heart, as she emerges from her innocence into her latent self - a mesmerizing performance. This movie is filled with images that are as disturbing as they are lyrical and open to endless interpretation (along with a subversive wit). I've seen the film multiple times and find that my impressions change with each viewing and that it has really haunted my imagination. "Stoker" is one of those unique and mysterious masterpieces that I'm sure I will be returning to frequently over the years - there's much to drink in, as the well runs deep.