(2003)
Overall: GOOD
This heartfelt tale of two conjoined twins seemingly removed from each other's physical bodies against their will plays out against Claude Debussy's "Claire de lune" movement. A clear metaphor of the overall longing for the comfort that the past can offer, the entirety of said twin's lives seems to be summed up in The Separation's running time that is just shy of ten minutes as they are content when together and forlorn when apart. Robert Morgan's animation is unsettling, but its most gruesome set piece is more emotionally tragic than horrifying. Thus can be said for the entire film really.
(2004)
Overall: GOOD
Both the first live action film by Robert Morgan and first not to use any stop motion animation, Monsters is a puzzling look into a disturbed child's head and what can manifest inside and out of it. Ridiculed and threatened by his older sister and primarily brushed-off by his parents, an over active imagination starts blurring the lines of what may or may not be actually happening. As far as presenting disturbed visuals from a kid's mind, Morgan does quite a job in tapping into such visceral fears. It is not quite clear what to make of things at the end as it has all been too murky up until then to have the seemingly narrative left-turn appear plausible, but it is effective as a whole all the same.
(2007)
Overall: GOOD
Two versions of Robert Morgan's The Cat with Hands exist; one made in 2001 as a "pilot" of sorts to secure funding for future projects and another, more fleshed-out one that was released in 2007. While the initial installment which showcases but one scene is a bit darker and void of dialog, its ambiguity makes it somewhat more unsettling than its future counterpart. That said, the latter, (which is presented more as a dark fairytale and features live actors as well as stop motion animation), is satisfyingly creepy in its own right. It is also more gleefully macabre, with Morgan presumably having a bit more fun with the material the second time around.
(2009)
Overall: MEH
Robert Morgan's entry in the Branchage Film Festival's 2009 48-Hour Film Challenge, Over Taken is unapologetically baffling, most likely for the mere sake of it. A woman prances around a beach as a claymation stick figure ogles her with almost completely indecipherable dialog. Meanwhile, a melancholy piano pieces plays throughout and at one point another woman shows up, laughs a bit, then gets beaten and stepped on by the first woman. As it was made so quickly under the predetermined confines of the festival, attaching much meaning to the proceedings is a bit of a grasping-at-straws endeavor. For those that enjoy pure, avant-garde befuddlement though, Morgan assuredly delivers it here that is for sure.
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