Four months after a car crash in which her husband and father of her unborn child died, Sarah is understandably still struggling to come to terms with her loss and imminent motherhood. Settling in the evening before the day of the birth, she receives a visit from a mysterious woman who seems intent on entry. What follows is part home invasion, part sensory assault as Inside burrows into your brain and deposits a stream of imagery that may never leave you.
A classic entry into the French Extremity movement, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s film is a brutal, uncompromising, and savage exploration of grief and violence. Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is nonchalant, to say the least, about her unborn child, withdrawing from those attempting to aid her. Béatrice Dalle as ‘La Femme’ is driven to the point of insanity, repellent in pursuit of her prey, but with her true motive hidden. With the prize at stake slowly dawning on the viewer, their contest is unbearably engaging, with you unable to take your eyes from the screen yet simultaneously trying to draw your gaze away. It is a film designed to provoke a response, and whether you find Inside one of the most audacious films of all time or simply a horrific indulgence, your opinion will undoubtedly be a strong one.
It’s a film not for the faint of heart or soon-to-be parents.
Accompanying the film, Second Sight has again compiled an impressive collection of extras. Interviews, documentaries, video essays, and a 70-page book are all included with the limited-edition Blu-ray, while the standard version contains all but the text.
INSIDE is out now on Limited Edition Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray.
