Stoker (Park Chan-Wook, 2013): An Intense Thriller Hinting Incest.

I have seen many thrillers, but they are not quite like this film. A concoction of good casting, smooth editing and exquisite cinematography really does make it "unique". And I use that word carefully, as many film or media texts can be considered "unique", but it is all based on opinions and suggestions, which I am obviously giving. It may have not turned over a high profit (budget of $12 million and a box office of $12.1 million) but the film did get positive reception, and it even premiered at the Sundance film festival, and the reviews were mostly positive, including 'The Guardian' film critic, Jeremy Kay, who called the film "a gorgeous mounted family mystery dressed up as. gothic fairytale." the film also won an award for best supporting actor (Matthew Goode).

Mia Wasikowska plays the troubled teenager India Stoker. She portrays the character as quirky and unusual teenager, who has to deal with the traumatic event of her father dying in, what she thinks, a freak accident. Her character says a lot by not saying anything at all. The lack of dialogue makes her more mysterious, like an enigma. She grips the spectators eye and makes us more attached to the screen. The film has a slightly disturbing turn when we are aware that her uncle, Charlie Stoker (Matthew Goode) has been wanting to have an intimate relationship with his niece. Although we are slightly disrupted by the subtle incest, we are yet sapped by the connection that the two characters elude, which makes it a lot more sensational.

Micro-elements such as cinematography, sound and lighting really aided the genre and flow of the text. The dark colour palette in correlation to the dark lighting gave the text an eerie feeling. Also, in correlation to the cinematography, with the use of foreboding at the beginning of the film, and using the same shots from the beginning at the end, really contrasts, as the spectator now knows the outcome of the text at the end, so the same cinematography is viewed in a different perspective. The close ups, pans and shot reverse shots that were used in this text created the atmosphere that was intended, and in this case, the atmosphere had to be inconceivable. The non-diegetic sound also aids the intensity of specific scenes, which makes the audience aware of the events that are about to occur, but unaware of the consequences of certain actions in particular scenes or sequences.

Regardless, this film most definitely disturbs and excites the spectator, it can be strenuous to gain popularity from a mid-budget film, but which the casting, micro-elements and editing, it all made the film intriguing. It's unconventional mannerisms played a part on the bizarre narrative, which still gained popularity. So if you are looking to be freaked out and awakened by a film with different codes and conventions of a normal film or media text, then this film is for you.

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