Inside

Loved it!!! It was very short, only 8 to 10 mins. but it was very entertaining, well acted, the concept and vision clever. All the personalities, the Mr. Clean intimidator, the conspiracy theorist, the giggler, the little girl, the level-headed contrite woman, the grouchy old man, and the guy who looks like a pan-fried Sid Vicious if he was alive today, were terrifically realized. Jeremy Sisto was once again outstanding as the "host" of all these people. Reedy Gibbs was quite the surprise as Dr. Jane. All in all, a great film.

Sorry folks, this one's a big loser in my opinion. It's apparently making the festival circuit, which is where I saw it (SFIFF), and I wanted to speak out against this unfortunate phenomenon: the really bad but slickly made festival short.

These films tend to get attention because of their surfacey, superficial flashiness. For instance, this film is in 35mm 'Scope, with a multi-layered stereo soundtrack, and visuals that practically scream at you that they're trying to be artsy and provocative.

Well, hopefully the thin veneer of "creativity" in the guise of skin-deep filmmaking tricks doesn't work on everybody, although it disturbed me that the film seemed to get some enthusiastic applause from portions of the audience.

Back to this film, "Inside".

The film depicts a man suffering multiple personality disorder being interviewed by a nurse who's trying to reach him behind all of his intrusive personalities. I can just imagine the director saying to himself one day, "Wouldn't it be cool if we made a film about a guy with multiple personality disorder, but we actually have characters portraying the respective personalities that only he and the audience can see?!!" Is it just me, or is that the most obvious gimmick that comes to mind? Plus, didn't A BEAUTIFUL MIND do the same thing? (By the way, I'm sure this film was conceived before the Ron Howard movie even came out, but it makes my point that this device is a sadly predictable one). Or does anyone remember a show years back called "Herman's Head" ??

The film is loaded with cliches (padded room, each personality is just a broadly defined archetype, a twist ending that makes us all groan and think of Sixth Sense or any Twilight Zone episode, etc.) The filmmaking is really ostentatious, super-self-important, and inflated way beyond its wafer-thin concept. It looked like one of those commercials or music videos that take on a faux-"cinematic" look but end up being more amusing for their pretensions than cinematically artistic or even dynamic.

Sorry to come down so hard, but criticism keeps the quality up, I hope. I'm anxious to see what others have thought who may have seen this film (as well as the filmmaker(s), perhaps?)

I got lucky and found this short on the net.

The sheer focus of mind that it must have taken these actors (especially Jeremy Sisto as the tortured Daniel) is amazing. It shows why, if this is what mental illness is like, that so many of these people take their own lives to end the agony.

I thought it was even more successful in the simplicity of the sets - the depressing colors made me think we saw Dr Jane and the environment as the patient was seeing them.

Definitely a must see for any fan of Jeremy Sisto. His talent shines in this one. Too bad it is, pardon the pun, so short.

I saw this short at the San Francisco Film Festival in 2002. I can't believe that Trevor Sands hasn't made lots of features - I was surprised to learn from IMDb he already did one in 1994. Why is he back to doing shorts - after an interval of 7 years when nothing happened? In 8 minutes, Inside is every bit as good and every bit as surprising as Identity, the James Mangold-Michael Mooney collaboration. The subject is multiple personality disorder, vividly dramatized as never before; the title has a double meaning. To say more would be to spoil the experience. I hope it becomes available on video, and that the filmmaker gets another feature greenlit soon.

INSIDE is an 8 minute short film made in the tradition of

THE TWILIGHT ZONE, produced as a showcase for the performers and filmmakers involved. It has been featured in the following festivals:

2002 Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2002 San Francisco International Film Festival 2002 Atlanta Film & Video Festival 2002 Florida Film Festival 2002 Seattle International Film Festival 2002 Malibu Film Festival 2002 San Diego Film Festival 2002 St. Louis International Film Festival

When presenting INSIDE with the Golden Gate Award for best short, the jury of the San Francisco Film Festival (SFIFF) said this:

`Inside is a riveting story about a man with multiple personalities whose incarceration in an asylum is up for review. This short shocking tale is deftly told, from expressionistic start to an astonishing denouement, with expressive acting and elegant camera work.'

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this film.

T.Sands