From Good-Natured Man to Disturbed Paranoia

`Stoker` is a movie in which Robin Williams makes an unexpected dark 180-degree turn. He shines throughout the movie as before, but there is no heart-warming character we have seen in his previous works such as `Dead Poet Society,` `Mrs. Doubtfire` and `Flubber` Those familiar with his image as an inspirational English teacher might feel confusing.

In `Stoker,` he explores a new role, proving how talented and experienced he is. Earlier, Williams made a strong impression with `Insomnia (2002)` in which he plays a role of a serial killer. He began to build a new image as a disturbed sick man in `Stoker` in 2001 and continued reinventing himself through `Smoochy` and `Insomnia.`

`Stoker` is a story about obsession. Sy Parrish is a middle-aged manager of the photo-printing department of a large Wal-Mart-like emporium. He is a lonely man without family and feels happiness by observing others` life through pictures he developed. Having developed the pictures of the Yorkin family for years, he has begun to see himself as part of it.

And one day he noticed that Mr. Yorkin is cheating his wife and grew furious about the man`s unfaithfulness. Now he is determined to take care of the things himself with a knife in his hand.

The charm of the movie is Williams` performance as a double-faced psycho. He wears a warm smile but on the instance turns into a monster. By playing an eerie tortured soul, he received a great review from the media when the movie was released in the U.S. last year.

This movie is not just a thriller. Instead of being a mere monster, Parish provokes feeling of compassion from the audience. Despite the absence of a big dramatic turn, it successfully portrays the inner world of characters delicately.

Director Mark Romanec, who had produced music videos for popular singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson, makes his film debut with this movie filled with rich color and elaborate images. The original title is `One Hour Photo.` For Aged 15 or above. Released on December 6.

Soo-Kyung Kim skkim@donga.com