The
highly-anticipated thriller “Stoker” starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and
Matthew Goode tells of the bizarre coming-of-age of India (Wasikowska) as she
enters womanhood written by Wentworth Miller and filmed by Park Chan-Wook.
Helmed
by Korean director Park which is also his debut movie in English, the movie
introduces India Stoker as she loses her beloved father and best friend Richard
(played by Dermot Mulroney) in an unexplained car mishap on her 18th
birthday. Upon her father’s demise, India’s life is suddenly shattered in
their very secluded estate. Left with her unstable mother Evie
(Kidman) and Uncle Charlie (Goode), her father’s brother who mysteriously
showed up during her father’s funeral, India experiences an unraveling of
herself that surprises and frees her at the same time.
Exquisitely
sensitive, India has since exhibited an impassive demeanor which masks the deep
feelings and heightened senses that only her father understood.
While she initially finds herself mistrusting her uncle, he fascinates
her as well and she begins to realize how much they have in common. As
Charlie reveals himself to her little by little, India becomes increasingly
infatuated with her charismatic relative and comes to realize that his arrival
is no coincidence. With her uncle to guide her, she is about to fulfill her
unusual destiny.
“She
is an introverted girl confined in a suffocating house, unable to mix with
anyone outside,” says director Park. “She is very rebellious as she bears the
pains of adolescence. Her father’s death, her uncle’s arrival, as well as the
conflict with her mother and her peers, bring her to a realization about her
true identity.”
Finding
an actress who could embody the contradictions of the character while making
India’s transition to womanhood graceful and natural was critical to the film’s
success. Park selected Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, whose delicate beauty
and solemn serenity had already won the 22-year-old leading roles in films
including Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” and Cary Fukanaga’s “Jane Eyre.”
“Mia
has the natural liveliness of a young woman,” he notes. “But she is also
composed and has internal maturity. To portray a girl who is neither a woman
nor a child, but at an awkward in-between stage, Mia was the most suitable
actor. She has a level of restraint surprising for someone her age. She is
almost completely still when she is acting. But when you watch her on film, you
realize that all the necessary emotion is there. She is very subtle and
skillful in a way that I expect only from older actors.”
For
her part, the actress says she found much to like about the project. “It is
such a strong piece of writing. Director Park and the creative team are
brilliant. The story is something I have never seen before. The dynamic between
the characters is quite mysterious. India is a really complex young woman.
Without her father, she is completely disconnected from the world. She’s an
outsider by nature, closed off from the rest of the world. She is still a young
girl, but she’s becoming a woman with dreams and fantasies, although they’re of
a different nature than other girls’ dreams.”
“It’s
completely confusing and really intriguing,” Wasikowska further says. “She’s
trying to figure out what role he has in her life and it’s far bigger than she
ever imagined. She’s not sure what he wants from her at first, and as she
slowly finds out how much alike they are, it’s both terrifying and appealing.
There’s a definite sexual tension between Charlie and Evie, as well as Charlie
and India, so it’s up in the air as to who and what he’s really there for. You
are never really sure—until you are.”
Working
with Park was a constantly evolving, and always stimulating experience for the
actress. “Even on weekends, we would meet for lunch and continue discussing the
character and the story,” Wasikowska says. “Ideas would snowball, becoming more
and more complex and interesting. During shooting, he let us sit for long
moments in silence where seemingly not much was happening, but there was always
strong underlying tension. That approach was perfect for this material.”
“Stoker” is now showing from 20th Century Fox and distributed by
Warner Bros.
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