 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: À l’intérieur (aka Inside) • Year: 2007 • Country: France • Director: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury • Main cast: Alysson Paradis, Béatrice Dalle, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin • Runtime: 82 minutes • Production company: La Fabrique de Films, BR Films, Canal+ • TRAILER |
One of those things always said is that french movies are boring. Many people would disagree with that statement, but in general when we talk about french movies we have in mind those long boring contemplative drama romances when nothing really happens. But that changed since the new century started, when this new wave of young french movie makers started to blow our minds up with their crazy and refreshing ideas. Films like Haute tension (aka High Tension) (2003), Frontière(s) (2007) or the absolutely deranged Martyrs (2008) –read our review here– changed the situation forever. And although it can’t be compared qualitatively to the ones just mentioned, À l’intérieur (aka Inside) is also part of this called New French Extremity.
Because the main idea and final twist are smart enough, but you can’t help but feeling the whole piece is an extended short film with the excuse of showing more and more gory scenes. The goal of creating a very creepy environment is obvious, but I am afraid the filmmakers didn’t succeed at all in the quest. The script drifters, the music bores and the photography is baffling. Yes, this is a very low budget film, but I think by trying to create a scarier atmosphere they make the footage look cheap. Too cheap.
The movie is basicly held by two lead female characters, the hero and the intruder. Alysson Paradis incarnates a young woman in the last stages of her pregnancy who is in a reclusive mood after she lost her husband in a tragic car accident, while Béatrice Dalle, a frequent collaborator of the directors, takes the role of the evil intruder with the darkest of the intentions. Along their bloody mouse and cat chase, a script full of chaotic twists and unreal situations only in the name of gore and violence. Because probably that is the whole mission of À l’intérieur (aka Inside), to have the plot as a vehicle for a blood fest. Maybe the story is weak and the script has lots of mistakes, but the torture and violence scenes are no doubt shocking. All the murdering and torture scenes, and there are many of them, are very well performed reaching a high realistic point that might make feel sick to more than one member of the audience. And after all, that is what this film is strong at: gore and guts, a bloody show.
This is the first movie by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, a filmmakers duo that managed to bring some other titles to enlarge the list of french film atrocities that we enjoy so much. Their upcoming project is the prequel about the origins of the classic character Leatherface (still no releasing date), this time into the American market and with big budget and cast. How will they manage in this new environment? We will have to stay tunned and see!
Meanwhile we can content ourselves with the spanish remake of this film, Inside (2016), written by veteran Jaume Balagueró and directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas. The international release will be this October at the Sitges Film Festival 2016. Will this new installation fix the weak points of the original french version or will it result in another pointless unnecessary piece? In a couple of months we’ll have the answer!
RATE: 4/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288
