Four months prior to Christmas, Sarah (Alysson Paradis) and Matthieu Scar Angelo (Jean-Baptiste Tabourin) fall victim to a horrific car accident. Matthiew doesn’t make it, but Sarah and her still unborn child survive. Fast forward to Christmas Eve and Sarah rests at home, anticipating the birth of her child, which is scheduled for the following (Christmas) day. Still extremely distraught, Sarah’s psyche is in shambles. Plagued by terribly vivid nightmares, Sarah’s troubles escalate when a strange woman (Beatrice Dalle) suddenly knocks on her door. Mental instabilities quickly become the least of Sarah’s problems this Christmas Eve, as this stranger is anything but friendly, and she want’s Sarah’s baby... badly. An unsettling battle unfolds as Sarah tries desperately to keep her attacker at bay.
There’s nothing pleasant (and believe me, I mean that as a huge compliment) about this film. Writer/Director Alexandre Bustillo paint’s a grisly, straight-forward picture from the outset. There’s no errant dialog, or myopic humor. The gore is so satisfying and the attention to detail so astute, I’d be willing to bet Tom Savini would tip his hat to this effects crew. The pace in which the film moves is quite impressive given a limited number of set locations. Nearly the entire film takes place in Sarah’s home, between a flight of stairs and a bathroom - but it works perfectly, and the action never stales.
On the acting front, both Paradis and Dalle are absolutely superb. Beatrice Dalle portrays one of the creepiest female antagonists I’ve ever seen. And Alysson Paradis effectively conjures feelings of empathy and pity, all the while maintaining a required resilience, and the supporting actors, though few - provide more than sufficient performances. The cinematography is smooth, and generally ‘safe‘, but there are a few really unique and creative moments thrown in periodically that really spruce the film up. The lighting is perfectly dim, and enhances the impact of the film’s environment by intensifying taut scenario‘s. All in all, it’s an extremely polished film.
I’d love to give a thorough breakdown of some of the films darker and more vicious moments, but I refuse to incorporate a spoiler for this one - it’s just something that needs to be seen, not read. So instead I’ll say this, the intensity of this film cannot be matched by any words that I contain in my personal vocabulary. Sadistic, frightening, gruesome, repugnant, appalling, harrowing, terrifying - they’re all great words - that fail to adequately illustrate the power of this picture. Imagine the most sincere, serene comfort you could ever dream of - now violently smash it into jagged shards of worthlessness. That should give you at least a hint of an idea of what this film accomplishes.
Comments (7)
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|2009-06-24 19:21:32 Jennifer
I just want to point out that in my humble opinion, Inside and Martyrs are two really great french films but are so vastly different that I feel like it's comparing apples to oranges. I loved both Inside and Martyrs but both for totally different reasons. I have to agree with this review here for me. Beatrice Dalle' is one of the most wicked female antagonists I've had the pleasure of viewing in a long time. Relentless! Performance wise, the only thing close to excellence like this in a female performance recently was Ellen Page in Hard Candy. Just my thoughts.
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|2009-04-10 19:34:39 manuel
This Movie Was The Bloodiest, Goriest Movie I've Ever Seen! Loved It. And It Was So Entertaining! Exellent Horror Movie.
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|2009-03-09 10:28:04 dave sww
i've been championing this nasty little flick since i first saw it last year. it's very over the top, but if you can suspend your disbelief (as it's clear the filmmakers are asking their audience to do here), it's a hugely rewarding, grueling, and original horror flick. beatirce dalle, an amazing actress dating back to 'betty blue', is terrific as la femme, and just check her out in the almost as disturbing 'trouble every day'! thanks, tony, for not spoiling some of the film's surprises in your review (too many writers and reviewers do that). i, for one, can't wait to see what filmmakers bustillo and maury comes up with next.
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|2009-03-09 00:12:34 kelly
SO agree with you Matt. This was one of my favorite movies last year. I recommend it to everyone. I will admit to wondering what was up with that cop even though I KNEW what was wrong with him. This wasn't a fun movie to watch but it was a great movie going experience. Also, I have to admit I have read some of your reviews and I like your style.
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|2009-03-06 09:02:01 Tbombrocks
I disagree with you Tony. This is an amazing film. I have not felt so much for a charictor in a film since the Passion of Christ. It was one of my favorite movies last year.
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|2009-03-02 12:14:41 Matt Molgaard
I appreciate your thoughts Tony. We apparantly saw two completely different visions.
And there was no zombie cop - blind from having his eyes gouged, yes - zombie - no.
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|2009-03-02 07:14:25 Tony Woolstencroft
Talk about an over the top review! At least it's matched by a ludicrously over the top film. Starts okay and actually builds up a nice creepy vibe for the first 15 minutes or so. Alas then it throws all logic out the window and turns into a completely goofy splatterfest. I wasn't sure if the directors were trying to make a comedy or not. The self-administered tracheotomy, the Rambo-ing up of the heroine and the stupid inclusion of the zombie cop defy belief (and not in a good way).The thing that really annoys me about this film is that it's often referred to and compared with Martyrs, which is a vastly superior film, has characters you actually care about and has something serious to say besides. Inside is just over-hyped drivel.
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