Stoker (R)
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This came out in 2013, but I didn't see it until 2020. The first thing I want to say about it is that it has nothing to do with Bram Stoker. The second thing I want to do is talk a bit about how hard it was for me to decide where to put my review. I was thinking I might just file it under "meh," because I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. And I can't really say why. It's not a bad movie, and certainly all the actors did good jobs. But after watching it, I read (or re-read, I can't recall) the Black List review, which makes it sound much better than I thought it was. I wish I could have appreciated it a lot more than I did. But I guess I did like it a bit too much to rate it "meh." So... I was thinking maybe I'd just call it "weird." It also could have gone under "thrillers," and it has a sort of Gothic, period feel, despite being set in 2012. But ultimately I decided on "coming of age," because that does sort of seem like the biggest theme of the movie... albeit a most unusual and disturbing sort of coming of age. Which, I guess, is fine. Sociopaths need to come of age, too, right?

So... it begins on the 18th birthday of India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska), and on that day, her father Richard dies in a car accident. On the day of the funeral, India's uncle Charlie shows up, after having spent many years traveling abroad (supposedly). She hadn't even known she had an uncle, so she's wary of him at first. But he stays with India and her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), who becomes increasingly attached to Charlie. It doesn't take long for the audience to begin seeing just how dangerous Charlie is, but at the same time, India becomes more interested in him, herself. And he's clearly got an inappropriate level of interest in her.

Beyond that, I don't want to spoil any details of the film. I don't know what else to say about it, anyway, except that I thought India was an interesting character.