Stoker (2013)

I've watched Stoker, Shame and Prozac Nation which all were psychological themed films the past month. Things have been tied up as I've been interning at a govie treasury office in my hometown. Then I thought that the theme suits perfectly with my current life. Well it doesn't mean I have the exact same psychological problems but I can tell we share the same fundamental value. We're most definitely bored.

Stoker (2013)
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Director: Chan-wook Park
Writer: Wentworth Miller, Erin Cressida Wilson
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney

Sets in nowadays, a coming-of-age India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) has to deal a tragic loss of her father, Richard Stoker (Dermot Mulroney) and a sudden visit of her long lost uncle, Charles Stoker (Matthew Goode). India starts smells some funny business between her mother, Evelyn Stoker (Nicole Kidman) and Charlie after seeing their frequent affection and intimacy around the house. Something mysterious is hidden inside his uncle's mind, she knows it's bad. Though Charlie keeps trying to get to know her better by cooking a dinner for India and her mother, picking her up at school, saving her lives after getting bullied and nearly raped by her school mate. But still, India has to find out a mystery behind Charlie's appearance in the family. The mystery that will change her forever. And all it takes, is the key she got from her 19th birthday present from her dead father.

Le Review

Getting bored is a dangerous state to every beings in life. It'll trick your mind to do something else, something different than you usually do. Something that pleases you. An escape from a routine, a reality. If we talk about sane people, they'll probably take a day off, go for a vacation, cherish life a little bit. However, this won't be the options for those who is mentally unstable. I mean not generally, but some of them will do for sure. Common people have boundaries of things they want to do when they get bored, while the sick.. apparently don't share the same idea. It can be worse like killing, raping, vandalizing, and all the batshits.

Talking about Stoker, it is exactly about the ugly causes of getting bored. They get bored, they're sick of having poor expectations. It turns out the other way in real life that things don't happen the way they want it to be. Hence, they will do 'something different' just like us, common people, going on a vacation. But this time... they do 'it' in their very own way. Same thing happens between India and Charlie's relationship, implicitly.

Charlie and India piano duet

This film is dark and puzzling. Creepy but sublime. Just to see Charlie's eyes has given me goosebumps. They look scary and intimidating but preposterously beautiful. Also India's house and outfits seems vintage, you won't realize this film sets in modern day. The horrific classic music and the fairly fast plot.. also roots Stoker's cold atmosphere. Three main actors, Wasikowska, Goode and Kidman performances are well done nicely too. Such great approach by Chan-wook Park, the director, who is also the director of Oldboy (2003). (A korean film, same psychological theme just like Stoker, but a lot more puzzling and the most mindfuck film ever seen. You should watch it too.)

I recommend Stoker if you want a mindblowing puzzled film with a twist ending.
Final verdict: 8/10

Ghost World (2001)

I knew this film from kazillion years ago. I did I wanted to see it but kinda doubt it bcs I was worried it'd turned out to be a cult, reaaaally weird, completely random film. But then an itsy bitsy voice inside of me said "Ah maybe, maybe not Indah, you totally gotta see it. You'll thank me if it turns out to be as great as Juno." As  I expected, the itsy bitsy voice inside of me was wrong, so.. no 'thank you' to you mademoiselle. 

Ghost World (2001) 

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Director: Terry Zwigoff 
Screenplay: Daniel Clowes, Terry Zwigoff
Based on the book: Ghost World by Daniel Clowes 
Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Stacey Travis
Nominated 1 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2002


Meet Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johannson), two young social outsiders who just got graduated from high school. As most social outsiders do, they hate society. Uhm no, they pretty much hate everything, like literally EVERYTHING. They hate high school popular girls, a stand-up comedian on tv, just everything they see or hear will be stuffs they mock and loathe about. Especially Enid.

Enid and Becca mocks everyone after graduation.

One day, after seeing an ad which a lonely middle-aged man called Seymour (Steve Buscemi) asks a woman he recently met to contact him, Enid and Becca decided to make a prank call pretending to be the woman and inviting him to meet her at a diner, and when he goes there, the two girls secretly watch and make fun of him. Discover that Enid feels sorry for him, she wants to see if he's okay by stalking him, then gradually becomes his friend after series of meetups and matchmaking to women around the neighborhood. 

Seymour and Enid shares thoughts.

At this point, the film starts focusing on Enid and Seymour's relationship, while Becca turns to be more mature person. She shares different things than she used to be which slowly tears them apart. Then out of the blue, Dana (Stacey Travis), the woman Seymour had written to in the personal ad, called him and wanted to meet him. Sure things change the whole Enid-Seymour's odd relationship that forces Enid to deal her confusions towards her immaturity.

Le Review 
Though I am an absolute sucker for teen and coming-of-age film, like Submarine, Donnie Darko, The Virgin Suicides, but it's not the same for Ghost World. The thing is, this film is cult, definitely. Most people will see this as an extremely bizarre yet pointless film. However, there are also some people -minority cult film fans- who loves this kinda film because it's non-mainstream, unique and out of the box. They apt consider it as a work of art for it's uniqueness.

In my opinion, I personally don't really like this film because it doesn't have a strong plot or a strong ending. For few people maybe, will see this "Well this is what makes Ghost World different", but unfortunately not for me. I do I love cult films but not in this way, I just don't see what's the point of this film and what message does it trying to deliver to the audience. And I hate the ending as well. I really do. It's just... pointless to me. 

Nevertheless, Ghost World still has charms. The young Scarlett Johannson looks very different in Ghost World than what we used to see her in blockbuster movies nowadays. Then a quick appearance of Josh, played by Brad Renfro, totally 'illuminate' this dark themed film.

Anyway, I will recommend Ghost World only for a moviefreak who will watch just any film, and for those hipsters who's into cult, weird and social awkwardness kinda film.

Final verdict for Ghost World: 6.9/10

Fyi: I just googled Brad Renfro. Apparently, he died from a heroin overdose 5 years ago. In commemoration of his death, Mark Foster of Foster the People who was his roommate, had written a song about his death called "Downtown." Ah so sad :(

Here's link of the song.