Stopmotion (2023)
February 24, 2024 3:35 PM - Subscribe
[TRAILER] Stop-motion animator Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) struggles to control her demons after her overbearing mother suffers a stroke. She embarks upon the creation of a film that becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella's mind starts to fracture, the characters in her project take on a life of their own.
Also starring Caoilinn Springall, Therica Wilson-Read, Stella Gonet, Tom York, James Swanton, Jaz Hutchins, Joshua J. Parker, Bridgitta Roy.
Directed by Robert Morgan. Written by Robert Morgan, Robin King. Produced by Alain de la Mata, Christopher Granier-Deferre for IFC Films. Edited by Aurora Vögeli. Cinematography by Léo Hinstin.
90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now playing in select theaters. JustWatxch listing.
Also starring Caoilinn Springall, Therica Wilson-Read, Stella Gonet, Tom York, James Swanton, Jaz Hutchins, Joshua J. Parker, Bridgitta Roy.
Directed by Robert Morgan. Written by Robert Morgan, Robin King. Produced by Alain de la Mata, Christopher Granier-Deferre for IFC Films. Edited by Aurora Vögeli. Cinematography by Léo Hinstin.
90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now playing in select theaters. JustWatxch listing.
Looking over my notes on Censor, it seems I loved that too. So maybe let me revise my statement above that this is far better than Censor to just saying this would be a great double feature with it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:00 AM on February 25, 2024
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:00 AM on February 25, 2024
Coming to this very late I suppose but with my recent viewing of it I thought I'd add my thoughts based on your comments DoT.
It didn't do a lot for me personally. Its hard to bring something interesting to the old tropes from Repulsion but it didn't really offer much in the way of insights to the creative process or why the main character should descend into madness so quickly. I found its abstraction and how it used stop motion in the narrative interesting and appreciated the effort. I didn't take that she was sexually abused so much as just psychologically and maybe physically damaged from a lifetime of living with a demanding overbearing creative mother - the movie seems non-committal on this. While I enjoyed it, I found a lot of the stop motion derivative of the work of Svankmejer and the Brothers Quay and at its worst it looked like something for a video for a regional Tool cover band.
Interesting to compare this to Censor, which I won't lie, I don't really see aside from some superficialities (psychological thrillers blurring reality and fiction with female protagonists). For me the stronger film is definitely Censor. That film is partially commenting on several things - the video nasties / moral panic era of the UK and more specifically referencing serial killers Fred and Rose West, the video label VIPCO and its colourful owner James White (the character of Douglas in Censor). Stopmotion doesn't really have much of an agenda beyond commenting on how creativity can be a curse I guess. Even then that seems to me as unformed as the Mortician's wax she played with in the film. Half baked if you will.
YMMV I guess but for me a metatexual film in the same genre will always trump a fairly straight forward film.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:58 AM on March 12
It didn't do a lot for me personally. Its hard to bring something interesting to the old tropes from Repulsion but it didn't really offer much in the way of insights to the creative process or why the main character should descend into madness so quickly. I found its abstraction and how it used stop motion in the narrative interesting and appreciated the effort. I didn't take that she was sexually abused so much as just psychologically and maybe physically damaged from a lifetime of living with a demanding overbearing creative mother - the movie seems non-committal on this. While I enjoyed it, I found a lot of the stop motion derivative of the work of Svankmejer and the Brothers Quay and at its worst it looked like something for a video for a regional Tool cover band.
Interesting to compare this to Censor, which I won't lie, I don't really see aside from some superficialities (psychological thrillers blurring reality and fiction with female protagonists). For me the stronger film is definitely Censor. That film is partially commenting on several things - the video nasties / moral panic era of the UK and more specifically referencing serial killers Fred and Rose West, the video label VIPCO and its colourful owner James White (the character of Douglas in Censor). Stopmotion doesn't really have much of an agenda beyond commenting on how creativity can be a curse I guess. Even then that seems to me as unformed as the Mortician's wax she played with in the film. Half baked if you will.
YMMV I guess but for me a metatexual film in the same genre will always trump a fairly straight forward film.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:58 AM on March 12
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CW: implied sexual abuse. (To the film's credit, this is set up in a sort of sideways manner as the motivation for why Ella is so damaged, but it is never elaborated upon or explained, or even shown or stated plainly.)
There is body horror in the last act gnarly enough that my kid and I covered our ehasds with our coats.
This did have a Shudder logo on it so it should be on that service before long. but it sure did play great on the big screen.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:36 PM on February 24, 2024 [1 favorite]