Stopmotion

There's nothing "bad" about Stopmotion and I enjoy Aisling Francoisi as a genre actress but there's nothing very interesting or new here. Beyond the cool imagery (which certainly borrows from Dead Ringers and Videodrome) there are 100 other movies with an identical plot and progression and ultimately Stopmotion is just kind-of ends up being a boring and joyless trip down that familiar path.

You could just watch the director's other work to appreciate the macabre art style instead of watching this and probably end up being more satisfied with the viewing experience. I didn't dislike Stopmotion, but it's pretty forgettable.

The film did its job of grossing me out with the body horror bits, and to an extent, successfully bothered me with its psychological horror layers. But as a whole, it still felt undercooked and wildly predictable in the final act. Undoubtedly, the best parts of the film are the stopmotion animations featuring these creepy meat-puppets. There's something eerily unique about stopmotion animation, isn't it? Maybe, since it's got to do with bringing inanimate (read: dead) things to life. The film conveys the uncanny aura of the entire process quite effectively, in a minimalist setting.

I thought the plot already had an interestingly uneasy angle to explore between the mother and daughter; however, the makers went in a totally different direction as it progressed, with subplots involving the boyfriend's sister and so on, which didn't hit the mark completely for me. I still applaud writer-director Robert King's approach to creating something wacky and authentic, unlike most horror films these days. Aisling Franciosi also does a solid job playing the lead who's facing a creative block. It's certainly NOT one of those films you'd rewatch a lot, and I guess, for good reason.

Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) works under her demanding mother Suzanne Blake (Stella Gonet) doing their own indie stop-motion animated films. She's doing all the work since her mother is disabled. After her mother suffers a stroke, she encounters a young girl. She creates a new character with usual materials.

I really like some of the ideas in this movie. There are some interesting themes and I really like the creation. It reminds me of Puppet Master with elements of Cronenberg body horror. There is a lot to like, but the overall effect is a slow moving indie horror. Despite the individual ideas, none of them can overcome the general grind of the story telling.

While not a terrible film, it's too sparse in its storytelling. The entire experience can be summed up in one sentence: "An animator loses her grip on reality and descends into hallucinatory madness and self-destruction." That's basically the entire "plot" of the story. This visuals are essentially a collection of other artist's influences rolled into 90 rather tedious minutes. Obvious elements of The Brothers Quay (grotesque faces and bodies), Jan Svankmajer (using meat as a medium), and David Lynch (mainly his art projects) were clearly used. Many films have documented a character losing their mind, and this film doesn't break any new ground in that arena. "Repulsion", "Censor", "Possum", and "Jacob's Ladder" (just to name a few) are far more compelling at depicting mental breakdowns while also containing an interesting story. Ultimately the film is watchable and will probably be enjoyed by those with very limited film experience.

Despite having its ups and downs, this film can captivate, in its weakest points I could say that its climax is very short and since the plot is so slow, little by little it is difficult not to imagine what is going to happen, they put a lot of effort in the visuals and left the script aside, since it is a horror story related to the artist and for those who really enjoy stop motion, and its well-crafted sounds. I would say that it is not a movie that you will love, but if it is something that will keep you watching, and that is a lot.

I would recommend watching it the day you want to see something different and if you are a casual viewer like me, and you like a little bit of everything, you should give yourself the opportunity with this movie.