The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue to be felt for generations to come. Thus, we’ll probably see even more films and television inspired by the social and political effects of what happened. Some movies, like Ti West’s Pearl and Bo Burnham’s Inside capture pandemic, inspired emotions and circumstances extraordinarily well. Other films, like Vasilis Kataoupis’s latest Inside, aim to portray pandemic-inspired sentiment but fail to meet the mark.
Inside tells the story of an art thief named Nemo (Willem Defoe) who breaks into a penthouse apartment to get away with several highly valued paintings. Before Nemo can escape, the security system fails, and Nemo is trapped inside. The dysfunctional system provides several obstacles for the thief, including intense heat and severe cold. The apartment, owned by a wealthy man, is not regularly lived in and contains little food. Nemo must find a way to escape and stay mentally stable amidst luxurious surroundings.
If Inside has any strengths, it’s the high concept. The popularity of escape room experiences and even the Escape Room film franchise are evidence of such a thing’s popularity and entertainment value. However, the film fails to make sense of most of its happenings. Of course, many films require us to suspend our disbelief and should not be faulted for doing so. In many cases, suspending disbelief is necessary to enjoy good filmmaking. This doesn’t mean that films should not be accountable to their rules. Inside arrogantly disregards the concept of belief suspension and unnecessarily asks the audience to give in to in-world regulations that don’t make sense.
For instance, the television in the penthouse does not typically work but instead shows security camera footage. This is an exciting plot device but so unusual that the lack of explanation is glaring and leaves viewers wondering about the television for most of the segment. Many instances like this throughout the film make it difficult to watch. Nemo’s attempts at escape, like building a tower and chiseling away at a heavy door, are visually exciting and mentally stimulating. Still, they take the back burner as the audience puzzles through the peculiarities of having an impenetrable apartment where security breaks and no one attempts to check on the occupants. It would have been more enjoyable if the film had been about a man who must escape or reckon with prison time. Likewise, a film that took place over a matter of hours rather than days would have been a more plausible exercise in storytelling.
Ultimately, Inside is about the descent into madness, which isn’t apparent until the last 10 minutes. Nemo eventually discovers a hidden passage that contains another art project. This sequence is creepy and entertaining for a few minutes but ultimately pointless in terms of meaning. It seems like Inside wants to mean something; it just can’t quite figure out what it wants to say.
Rating: 2/5
DeFoe, no stranger to portraying peculiar characters, is enjoyable as always. It’s a shame he wasn’t given more to work with. Inside has sequences that work, and a dynamic range of possibilities is evident. The film could have been a thriller, political statement, or performance. Instead, it’s a forgettable drama that would have benefitted a few more rewrites. As affecting as the pandemic was, Inside isn’t the place to turn for analysis.
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