‘Trapped’ might be a better title for Charles Williams’ debut feature, Inside, as his gripping Victorian set prison drama traps the audience in the minds of three guilty men searching for redemption. It’s a bold way to begin a career - filling the screen with society's offshoots: murderers, rapists and pedophiles then choosing to focus on their suffering above their victims but I for one am glad for it. Williams’ displays great empathy while not hiding away from the ugliness of our Country in a film that mostly works.

 

Transferring from juvenile to adult prison is Mel Bright (Vincent Miller). He’s been locked away since 12 for the murder of a classmate and he functions as the naive protagonist who has everything explained to him. His character and performance are my biggest gripe with the film. Though we get archival type footage of his parents getting married in jail and dispersed flashbacks explaining Mel’s disapproval of the parole system we never really understand him. He has a violent outburst slamming a desk into a fortified window that we gather emulates his childhood murder. So he must have some sort of anger issues right? Well, it’s never touched on again even though he’s put into plenty of situations to be angry about.

 

Vincent Miller has the right look for the part with his boyish face and lanky body that’s length he doesn’t seem used to but his acting makes our taciturn protagonist seem more stupid than damaged. We should think that Mel vacated his mind to escape his trauma but instead it seems that Mel’s mind was never occupied to begin with.

 

His initial cellmate, the disgraced child rapist and murderer Mark Shepard played by Cosmo Jarvis, really showcases the gulf in performance. Since his crime at 13 Shepard has found salvation and hosts a congregation to help his fellow inmates free themselves of guilt. He acts as an angel on Mel’s shoulder guiding him toward self-forgiveness and teaching him to ‘let he who hath no sin cast the first stone.’ 

 

Jarvis gives his character a slanted lip, an always agape mouth and a tortured body creating an almost too realistic shell. While there definitely are people that walk, talk and act like Shepard because we know how Cosmo Jarvis naturally speaks his mannerisms feel put on, more like a costume than a performance. Most of the time though, Jarvis’ work is engaging enough that you forget about these choices.

 

The acting tour de force comes from the man in Mel’s parole group, the devil on his shoulder, who’s gotten himself into some gambling debt and wants the bounty for killing Shepard without doing it himself. Guy Pearce without the flashbacks or narration that Vincent Miller is awarded crafts Warren Murfett as a fully realised human pained by his mistakes but blinded to his own culpability. Pearce you’ll find in most places is given first billing despite structurally being the second lead. Some might say this is merely because he’s the biggest name but really it’s because when Warren is on screen it becomes Guy’s movie.

 

The highlight of the film is Warren visiting his son on his first unsupervised temporary release. At this point we should hate Warren as he’s coerced Mel into attempted murder yet as Murfett’s son gets revenge on his neglectful father we share Warren’s agony. The self destruction and rejection of salvation suddenly all makes sense.

 

Williams’ work should be praised for his patience behind the camera. Apart from a climactic scene involving CGI pyrotechnics there’s poise from the director as scenes are given room to breathe. Characters and audience alike are given space to reflect on the prisons physically and metaphorically we are stuck in. Thematically and morally the director never tips the scales and bravely allows the audience their own interpretation. That being said, the ending does wrap itself up a bit too cleanly for my liking.

 

Overall though, Inside proves to be an incredibly promising start to a directorial career. Now that the film is on Netflix hopefully more people get around to seeing this authentic and thoughtful Aussie flick.