On the day of her wealthy father's funeral, wary teen Mia Wasikowska meets her uncle (Matthew Goode), a man she had no idea existed
On the day of her wealthy father's funeral, wary teen Mia Wasikowska meets her uncle (Matthew Goode), a man she had no idea existed.
Her highly strung mother (Nicole Kidman) promptly invites the glamorous and charismatic Goode to stay at the family's secluded estate.
As Wasikowska wavers between fascination and suspicion - when Goode commends the garden soil for its spade-yielding softness, you get the feeling he's not planning to plant begonias - the film builds up an unsettling atmosphere.
In his first English-language film, Korean director Park Chan-wook further stokes up the air of longing and dread with lush colours, rapt close-ups and spine-tingling music (by Clint Mansell, with contributions by Philip Glass).
The languid pace requires patience and the script is a little fanciful, but this stylish and sensual psychological drama keeps you gripped.
