STOPMOTION (2023)
I'm a fan of stop-motion animation. I want to get that out of the way because I'm about to disparage this film. We're not talking relentless butchery (as the half-hearted rating can attest), but I was definitely disappointed. The storyline makes clever use of the tried-and-true special effects technique. A stop-motion artist named Ella is knee-deep in the production of her mother's film. When Mom is sidelined with dour health issues, Ella is faced with "demons" that threaten to level her mental faculties. I'm using quotation marks out of selective necessity. The villain(s) is hard to describe, and truth be told, you probably shouldn't read any reviews of Stopmotion before you press play. As the running time progresses, the film reveals itself to be a challenge. To be specific, it reveals itself to be the one kind of horror that I've always struggled to decipher and/or comprehend. What kind is that? Arthouse horror. I shivered just typing the words.
Writer/director Robert Morgan submerges his characters in metaphors, both visual and contextual. Some are oblique. Others are more direct. All of them facilitate painting a narrative that prioritizes creepy imagery over cogent storytelling. And that's fine if you're in the mood for something offbeat and pretentious. Those adjectives may carry negative connotations, but I don't want to ridicule Stopmotion for not catering to my tastes. There are cool moments. I found Caoilinn Springall's performance as the nameless neighbor to be chilling. Unfortunately, my mind kept asking questions that were never going to be answered. Like, how does Ella support herself? Where are the little girl's parents, and how is it seemingly so easy for her to bulldoze her way through Ella's social circles? Ultimately, half of this review is going to be meaningless if you haven't seen Stopmotion. So either check it out on Shudder or...um, stop reading.
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