Inside: Dafoe’s Performance Shines Amidst a Stylish but Floundering Thriller

The camera lingers on Willem Dafoe’s gaunt face, pressed against a penthouse window, his breath fogging the glass like a ghost trying to escape its own reflection. This is Nemo, an art thief trapped in a luxury New York penthouse after his heist goes awry, and the opening shot of Inside sets the claustrophobic tone for Vasilis Katsoupis’ feature debut. The film’s premise—a man slowly unraveling in isolation—hints at psychological tension, but what follows is a uneven journey that struggles to balance its ambition with execution.

Katsoupis and cinematographer Steve Annis craft a visual feast of the penthouse’s opulence, contrasting Nemo’s growing desperation with the pristine art and furniture around him. The camera lingers on decay—rotten fish in an aquarium, a decomposing pigeon—as if to underscore the inevitability of entropy. These moments are visually striking, but they often feel disconnected from the narrative, serving more as aesthetic choices than storytelling tools. The film’s pacing drags, particularly in its middle act, where Nemo’s repetitive attempts to escape become tedious rather than suspenseful.

Dafoe, ever a chameleon, commits fully to the role. His performance oscillates between manic energy and haunting vulnerability, particularly in scenes where he hallucinates or monologues to an unseen audience. In one standout moment, Nemo eats fish from the art collector’s aquarium, his desperation palpable as he chews with a grimace of disgust. But even Dafoe’s talent can’t elevate some of the film’s weaker moments, like Nemo’s increasingly bizarre attempts to communicate with a housekeeper through a security camera feed. The scene feels more absurd than suspenseful, and the payoff—her obliviousness to his pleas—lacks emotional weight.

The script by Ben Hopkins offers intriguing themes about art, obsession, and destruction, but it struggles to balance them against the thriller’s narrative demands. Nemo’s backstory—a childhood anecdote about choosing art over family in a hypothetical fire—is fascinating but underutilized. It raises questions about his character that the film never fully explores. Is he a true artist or just a thief? What drives his obsession with Schiele’s work? These threads are teased but never woven into a cohesive tapestry.

Inside is a film that aims high but stumbles in its landing. It’s visually compelling and features a standout performance from Dafoe, but its pacing issues and uneven storytelling prevent it from reaching its full potential. The production design deserves praise; the penthouse feels like another character, with its hidden passages and shifting temperatures adding layers of unease. The absence of a traditional score amplifies the isolation, making even the smallest sounds—like Nemo’s ragged breathing or the hum of the security system—feel ominous.

The film’s themes of art, obsession, and destruction are timely, particularly in an era where wealth inequality and the commodification of art are hot-button issues. Yet Inside never fully commits to exploring these ideas. Instead, it settles for a surface-level examination of its protagonist’s descent into madness. This is a shame because there’s potential here for a deeper commentary on the relationship between art and destruction.

Inside had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2023. It was released theatrically in Greece on March 10, 2023, by Tulip Entertainment, in Belgium on March 15, 2023, by Sony Pictures Belgium, and in Germany on March 16, 2023, by SquareOne Entertainment.

The film’s release was met with mixed reviews. Some critics praised Dafoe’s performance and the cinematography, while others found the pacing slow and the story underwhelming. The film’s themes of isolation and obsession resonated with some audiences, but others felt that the execution fell short of its ambitious goals.

Inside is a film that will likely appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and art-house cinema. Those who enjoy films that explore the darker aspects of human nature and the complexities of art will find much to appreciate in Inside. However, viewers looking for a fast-paced thriller with a clear narrative arc may be disappointed.

The film’s cinematography provides storytelling of its own, as noted by Reddit users discussing Inside on r/movies. The visuals are undeniably gorgeous, but they sometimes overshadow the narrative, leaving the audience with beautiful images that lack emotional resonance.

In conclusion, Inside is a visually stunning film with a standout performance from Willem Dafoe. However, its pacing issues and uneven storytelling prevent it from reaching its full potential. The film’s themes of art, obsession, and destruction are intriguing, but they are not fully explored in the narrative. For fans of psychological thrillers looking for an unconventional experience, Inside offers a unique journey into the mind of a desperate man.