Stopmotion
February 19th, 2024
MOVIE: STOPMOTION
STARRING: AISLING FRANCIOSI, STELLA GONET, TOM YORK, CAOILINN SPRINGALL
DIRECTED BY: ROBERT MORGAN
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
The tortured artist putting themselves through pain for a passion will always be a great base for horror. Stopmotion, the feature debut from director Robert Morgan, reveals just how deep that drive goes, where logical thought is blocked from all reality. Similar to Ari Aster’s Hereditary, a person can kill themselves for their craft, and escape into a passion just to avoid the harsh sting of reality. What becomes unearthed is a frightening display of self-torture. Stopmotion is a descent into pure madness and a unique blend of live-action with animation to create a beautifully twisted film.
Our lead character is Ella (Aisling Franciosi), an artist working alongside her mother Suzanne (Stella Gonet) to make a stop-motion animated film. For her mom, the craft has taken a toll on her hands, constantly in arthritic pain from positioning clay figures. When mom’s health turns for the worse, Ella becomes isolated, pushing her boyfriend Tom (Tom York) away, and obsessing over starting her film. She is instantly frustrated by the results, but when she meets a little girl (Caoilinn Springall) in the same apartment complex she begins to guide her on what the vision should be. A film begins to form, but the question becomes what is reality, is her creativity taking control of her mind? We start to witness Ella’s life molding into a tale of dark torment.
The screenplay written by Robin King and Morgan establishes early just how much work it takes to be a stop-motion animator. We see the pausing, the positioning, and the steady hands to craft perfection. It’s that introduction to this world that builds a strong metaphor for Ella’s mind. The movie within the movie involves a creature stalking a woman in the woods. This is a window into her imagination, but as the story grows darker, the better the film becomes. It becomes a question of how much of the creative process is too much and viewers must prepare to see just how far Ella is willing to go.
Outside of a daring and universal narrative, what makes Stopmotion great is the lead performance from Franciosi, who is never afraid to go where the story asks. Halfway through the little girl asks Ella to make the figurines “look more real”, where the texture of them becomes a hybrid of clay and dead animal meat. The lead shoves her hands right into bloody flesh that we can smell. It’s not just the commitment that makes the story believable, but Franciosi’s emotional state leaps off the screen, as she sweats, and moves like a person who hasn’t slept for days. If capturing the authenticity of a struggling artist is what Morgan wanted, his lead has nailed the assignment. There is a genuine vision from the director and his star is in perfect sync with the material.
For Stopmotion, the themes and tones may be universal but Morgan’s way is incredibly impressive. It’s easy to compare other films such as Black Swan, The Prestige, or Whiplash, each different form of a person’s obsessions running wild. With Stopmotion and the animation style itself, with the move-shoot-move-shoot process hammering in the tedious repetition, this becomes an unforgettable experience. Stopmotion is an ever-shifting, dark and scary horror film, no matter what format, live-action, animation. It’s all scary good.
STOPMOTION IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23RD, 2024.
3 ½ STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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