‘There is no creation without destruction…’
Having an actor as good at playing deranged as Willem Dafoe isolated and trapped in one location is a great concept. Unfortunately, that very same concept was explored with Dafoe in Robert Eggers’ modern classic The Lighthouse. This film explores similar themes but does so in a much more derivative and unsuccessful way…
After a botched robbery, Nemo (Dafoe) finds himself locked in a New York penthouse. The irony is that while he is surrounded by the priceless works of art he was trying to steal, these paintings will not feed him or quench his first despite their inimitable beauty.
The fun of Inside is discovering the extent that Nemo will go to to stay alive and stay sane. There are moments of poignancy. Dafoe looking out over New York as fireworks boom outside signifying the end of the year. Dafoe wandering around the apartment muttering an incoherent Bulgarian joke to himself. But ultimately, Inside doesn’t do enough with its premise to justify its existence. This isn’t a tedious film as such but it is predictable and it hits many of the same story beats as other films with similar subject matter (Buried, 127 Hours etc). Dafoe is great, of course, and it is his intense performance that saves Inside from mediocrity but it simply isn’t enough to recommend Inside generally.
Inside has some interesting things to say about art and its importance and it boasts a memorable performance from an iconic actor at its heart but ultimately it must go down as a disappointment.