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Horror movies have seen a brilliantly unique resurgence over the last ten years, terrifying stories reaching new heights of success and artistic expression – and it seems we are far from slowing down. The latest film to break free of the mold is Robert Morgan‘s Stopmotion. A unique take on the terrifying beauty of horror, Morgan unites the cinematic power of terror and stopmotion to brilliant effect. This is not a film in a rush to see its conclusion, rather allowing its story to unfold in the mind and hands of its central character. Basked in the depths of psychology and animated action, the unapologetic immersion of cinematic media will leave its viewers wanting more.
Animating Horror
Nothing truer could be said about Stopmotion. I found myself not wanting the film to meets its conclusion, desiring to continue just one moment more. This is not a film that is immediately terrifying, rather feeling more askew and off center. Yet, there is no stopping the film once its story has begun, a rollercoaster ride of terror and multimedia that is unrelenting and wholly committed to its premise.
source: IFC films
From its opening sequence, the shifting multicolored lights almost animate Ella’s (Aisling Franciosi) face as she stares at the camera, the illusion of movement, appearance and emotion is altered with each color change and shift of lighting position. From Stopmotion‘s first introduction of Ella, she is a puppet animated and brought to life by the environment around her. She is not pulling the strings, rather an unseen force in control. From start to finish, Stopmotion harnesses this idea of puppetry and control, delving deep into the psychology of the neglected inner child and the suffocating nature of imposter syndrome. There is little room for predictability, giving Stopmotion a terrifying level of cinematic experience.
Ella is an animator’s assistant, for years assisting her legendary mother in the field of stop-motion animation. She is shown struggling to put her ideas and emotions to words, especially under the critical eye of her mother – who looks at her as nothing more than a puppet. As her mother’s hands have lost mobility over the years, assistant and artist have slowly begun to become one unit, working in unison to bring to life the armatures before them. Yet, when their union is met with tragedy, Ella is allowed not only to cut her strings but to begin her journey of artistic exploration.
source: IFC Films
As Ella begins to craft her own film, she to pour herself into her art. With her narrative taking form, Stopmotion brings her story to life before our eyes, blurring the line of reality and fiction. Morgan‘s immersion of mixed media is the perfect blend of terror and storytelling. Where dream sequences and potential flashbacks would have previously worked to deliver context and depth to the degrading psyche of Ella, Stopmotion becomes the creation of its animator and director coming to life before our eyes. There is raw vulnerability that lies in the stopmotion figures that works on a surrealist level to capture Ella’s inner turmoil and struggles, ones that she has never truly acknowledged.
Conclusion
Stopmotion is a brilliant blend of horror and animation, much of the film weighing on the shoulders of Aisling Franciosi. Franciosi delivers a fully fleshed-out performance, the commitment and depth she is able to bring to Ella bringing the terror of Stopmotion full circle. She carries Ella’s torment and desire to prove herself with angst and deeply resonating pain that gives each element of reality and surrealism its engaging and hypnotizing context. She is matched by the performance of Caoilinn Springall as Little Girl. The duality of these characters is incredible, Franciosi and Springall working well off each other to harness the disintegrating psychological state of Ella. There is a deeply resonating symbolism and parallelism for Ella, and both actors breathe life into every horrific element.
Stopmotion is a unique gem within the realm of horror, capturing the disintegration of a puppet and puppeteer, finding strength in its marriage of stop-motion animation and terror. A film that is not easy to forget and destined to be loved by horror fans alike, Stopmotion is by far the must see horror film of the year.
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