Stoker

Um...?

I really wanted to like this one. After all, Chan-wook Park made Oldboy (aka one of the greatest films ever made that did not need a remake). But is was mostly just beautiful shots of stoic people.

The story is that of India Stoker and her weird mother Evelyn, trying to deal with the sudden loss of father and husband Richard. On the day of his funeral his younger brother Charlie shows up and just hangs around, creepily looking at them both and first killing the housekeeper and then his visiting aunt.

Both, Evelyn and India become infatuated with him and he plays along. After India and Charlie team up in killing India's high school friend Whip (his name is Whip?) who is about to rape young India, the girl learns that her uncle Charlie was in fact in a mental institution for the last twenty or so years for killing his and Richard's little brother Jonathan. Little Charlie was jealous of all the attention the baby got from his older brother, so he dug a hole for the boy (literally).

What's more, on India's 18th birthday not only did Richard die in a car accident but it was also the day Charlie got released from the institution. Learning that Richard did not, in fact, want him in his family but rather got him a car and an apartment in far away New York, Charlie snaps (yet again) and beats his brother to death before staging a car accident.

Now, does this make India shy away from her uncle. No it does not. Rather she decides to leave with him for New York. But then the mother gets in the way. She sees the pair get overly friendly and as Charlie is in the process of committing yet another murder, India shoots him instead. And then takes off alone. And then kills a cop that stops her for speeding.

Somewhat disappointing - to me, anyway.

5/10