Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Stopmotion’

6/3/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Aisling Franciosi as Ella Blake in Robert Morgan’s STOPMOTION. (Photo Courtesy of Samuel Dole. An IFC Films and Shudder Release.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Stopmotion’.

If there is one particular truth that every writer, and artist in general, will attest to, is that they do indeed inject a bit of themselves into every piece of work they create. It might be by inserting a location or a character name from the story that motivated them to become a writer, into their own creation, or it might be an image that reminds them of childhood, but one way or another… there is that delicate insertion of one’s very soul into a story. All because that makes a story personal and special, and some… take it one step further. By using their medium to do more than scratch a creative itch, they use storytelling and art… to outright heal themselves.

Because creating a story in any form, can be therapeutic in nature, provided the dark stuff is permanently left on the canvas or the page, and for most creatives that is easy in nature. Since there is in the trained creative mind, a separation point. One that allows for the creator to understand they are purging something toxic into a world where it is permanently captured and can no longer do harm, via a safe environment they can leave at any time, if this quest to heal becomes a touch overwhelming. But again, it takes a little training to make that happen, and must be done at the right time… or disaster can strike. As evidenced by the new Shudder feature, Stopmotion.

For this is a story that introduces us to a woman named Ella Blake who is indulging in creativity in the most forced manner possible. For her mother is noted stopmotion animation artist, Suzanne Blake, and she is in poor health and needs Ella to help her finish her magnum opus before she passes. But a stroke, changes that plan, and leaves Ella wondering what comes next for her in life. For up until this very moment, she’s only known her mother’s creative commands and she is now immersed in a story she does not understand, and outright sorrow since it seems her mother will soon pass. But the decision to temporarily relocate and start her own work, with some pressing from a young girl in her new apartment building, gives Ella quite the idea to work upon. A story that will help her cope with her pain, but there’s just one problem with this. In that, she doesn’t understand the separation point between creativity and reality, and that may lead to disaster the further she digs into this therapeutic tale.

Which is the perfect way to explore the theme at hand. Because that truly allows for the viewer to learn a great deal about the creative process. Such as how creatives come up with ideas involving real life, and how powerful those ideas can be when they take hold, regardless of how dark or edgy they may be. But most important of all, it showcases what happens when a creative mind cannot separate the story from reality, and the dangers inherent to that. Since the lack of a barrier plunges Ella into a twisted waking nightmare, where the story finds her at the worst possible moments and makes her life a living hell. Wherein she scares her loved ones and scares herself in a manner that is unhealthy and dangerous, and that makes for a powerful story for certain, one that at first glance, seems more dramatic than horrific.

But have no fear, there are scares to be found in this tale. After all, the story that Ella and her young friend wish to tell is quite twisted and ripped from the pages of our very psyche. Complete with musings upon our fears of the unknown and fears of losing control. And of course, make no mistake about it, Ella crosses some serious lines to get the shot she needs or to make the story work properly, and that brings about one gory and terrifying third act. Where Ella goes WAY too far in telling her story, to the point where one is shockingly uncomfortable with what is playing out on the screen and where one hopes that Ella wakes up from this nightmare before she truly takes this vision further than it ever needed to go.

But while those elements could easily carry this feature no problem, it still has more wonders to send our way. Such as the fact that it feels incredibly real and that comes courtesy of some amazing performances, with Aisling Franciosi (Ella Blake) leading the charge here. For Aisling sells the pain that Ella experiences in this tale, and her downward spiral, with a visceral honesty that immediately leads us to believe we’re not watching a movie, but a live stream, and that only adds to the wonder of an incredible horror feature. One that truly taps into the zeitgeist of elevated horror by putting the power of trauma and the dangers of unregulated creativity on display, and the end result is a story that is chilling, sorrowful and downright frightening. Thanks to its no-hold barred examination of what could happen if someone truly lost themselves in a dark and twisted story.

Watch ‘Stopmotion’

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