THE PREDATOR IN MATTHEW GOODE: “STOKER”

Matthew Goode in Stoker

On her 18th birthday, India Stoker’s (Mia Wasikowska) father dies in a tragic car accident.  Her only source of strength and comfort now gone, India now finds herself lost and unable to connect to the people around including her unstable mother Evie, played by Nicole Kidman.  On the day of her father’s funeral, her father’s long lost brother Uncle Charlie surfaces and decides to stay with them.  At first doubtful of her Uncle Charlie, Mia surprisingly finds herself drawn to him in a fascinating way she never thought possible.

As Uncle Charlie reveals himself to her, 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 find out that in her blood runs a stream of evil that her father had long protected her from.

The enigmatic man at the center of the family conflict is played by Matthew Goode, a British import previously seen in Tom Ford’s critically acclaimed “A Single Man,” opposite Oscar® winner Colin Firth, and as the Greek god-like super hero Ozymandias in “Watchmen.”  “Matthew is just so much fun,” says Wasikowska. “Our relationship off-screen was the polar opposite of what it was on screen. He can be really goofy, so it was a challenge to keep a straight face working with him.”

Uncle Charlie is shrouded in mystery throughout the film. His motives remain hidden until nearly the end. “The audience never knows for sure what goes on in his mind,” says director Park. “He loved his brother so much, and his love for his brother is transferred to India.  He is a mentor figure who turns up to complete India.  Matthew matched the image I had in my head—the innocence, humor, elfishness.  He has the mischievous sparkle and elegant delicacy of someone who can’t hurt a fly.  These are all the perfect qualities for Uncle Charlie.”

Goode was equally certain that he wanted to be part of Park’s English language debut. “This is an example of Hollywood drawing on the best talent from all around the world, which I think is a brilliant thing,” Goode says. “Director Park is a master of psychology, which is one of the reasons his films are so intelligent and believable.”

“This kind of script doesn’t come around every day,” Goode continues. “It has all the right ingredients to move an audience, as well as to scare and provoke them. It’s a beautiful love story, in a twisted way. Charlie has been waiting for years, keeping in touch with Mrs. McGarrick, the housekeeper, to learn all about India.

At first you think you know who Charlie is, but as the story evolves, you realize he’s extremely complicated and dangerous,” he says. “Nothing is what it appears. He wants to be around his family, so he uses Evie. He can’t really stay there unless she is attracted to him. But Charlie is extremely unbalanced and he has feelings for India that are not at all uncle-like. The challenge for me was that rather than being simply evil, he has to have a center to him that we like, which is disorienting and quite scary.”

“Matthew is compellingly attractive as Charlie,” Kidman adds. “That’s really such a good thing for Uncle Charlie to be. You believe that Evie would desire him and want his attention. He’s the first person for a long time to give her attention. And then Matthew, of course, has such talent. I expect to see him become a huge star.”

“Stoker” opens March 1 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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Mia Wasikowska : Innocence ends in "Stoker"

Mia Wasikowska stars in Stoker

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” opens in cinemas March 1 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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Korean Filmaker Park Chan-Wook directs his first English movie - "Stoker"

Chan-Wook – who goes by the name Director Park on set – is one of the most celebrated and popular filmmakers in Korea, his work known for its very precise framing and violent subject matter. His earliest films were not a huge success, and he initially supplemented his income as a film critic. It was 2000’s Joint Security Area that would help him break through, and by 2004 he’d won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for Oldboy. Director – and fan – Quentin Tarantino, as head judge, personally pushed for him to also be awarded the Palme d’Or.

Filmmaker Park Chan-Wook has created a singular body of work during his more than 20 years as a writer, director and producer of some of Korean cinema’s most innovative and original movies, crafting feverish scenarios that combine lyrical beauty with shattering acts of violence and operatic emotion.  “Stoker” is a dark and disturbing thriller about a mysterious and isolated American family.  Even the film’s title makes metaphorical allusion to evil, invoking the name of Dracula author Bram Stoker, whose groundbreaking novel is as much about an opportunist who preys on the innocent as it is the supernatural world of the vampire.

Best known for his “The Vengeance Trilogy” in his native South Korea – including 2003’s critically lauded Oldboy – director, screenwriter and producer Park Chan-Wook tackles his first American movie with “Stoker.”  He continued to have great success – three of his movies are in the thirty highest grossing films of all time in South Korea – and continued to push boundaries: his 2011 film Paranmanjang was shot entirely on an iPhone.
 
Now he brings his incredible talents for the first time to the States, directing a script by former “Prison Break” star Wentworth Miller. Stoker follows the story of India Stoker (Wasikowska), whose father dies in an auto accident. Soon after, her Uncle Charlie (Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother Evie (Kidman). Soon after his arrival, she comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives, but instead of feeling outrage or horror, this friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Over the past two decades, Park Chan-Wook has established a rotating troupe of actors with whom he works regularly in Korea. He has developed an intensely collaborative method of working hand-in-hand with his favorite performers to flesh out and fully define the unusual and original characters that people his films. For his first American movie, he had to put together a new creative family of actors with the same kind of sensitivity, intelligence and talent.

“I am especially excited for audiences to see this film for the performances by these wonderful actors,” says the director. “They are each at different stages of their lives and careers, and are rather different kinds of actors from each other. Seeing how they come together so successfully is worth experiencing.”

Park’s extensive preparation makes it easier for him to shoot quickly and precisely. “My style of filmmaking involves very specific camera movements,” he explains. “I edit the film in my head well in advance, so working in the conventional manner, with long masters and lots of coverage, does not work for me.”

The film’s shooting schedule was abbreviated compared to the customary pace in Korea, which also affected the way the camera was used. “Having to capture the scenes so quickly made it difficult to use the long elaborate camera movements I am known for,” Park says. “But this may have a better effect on the film. When such shots are used only in the most memorable way, it increases the tension.” 

“Stoker” is a fitting addition to Park’s acclaimed canon of work, according to producer Costigan. “Like all of Director Park’s films, it is primal, but also poetic and human. It’s about overwhelming emotion and its intersection with violence. He was able to craft Wentworth Miller’s riveting script into something even scarier, surprising, beautiful and lush, even funny at times. Everyone involved with the film feels very proud to have been able to help director Park make a true ‘Park Chan-Wook film’ in America.”

Startling family secrets are about to be revealed when “Stoker” opens March 1 in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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