Inside

Created by Amélie Poirier at French school EMCA, Inside is a short film about an alien that finds herself in a unfamiliar environment. It features one main character, a SciFi theme and a conflict with the environment.

With a strong emphasis on staging, Inside alternates between various shot sizes, to describe the environment, the way the alien interacts with it, and the expressions of the alien to transmit her conflict. Slightly saturated colors are employed in the stylized aesthetic, with cold colors used for the alien to make her stand out among the warmer palette used for the environment.

Visual rhythm is high: camera moves abound, with an intention to transmit the main character’s disorientation and personal experience (a semi-subjective camera is employed most of the time). The director plays with screen directions, paying careful attention to them and using various dolly moves. The rolling camera at 1m53 that switches directions is especially worth noting, as is the crane (could also be labeled as dolly) at 3m35 intended for revelation.

What makes it work so well? Remarkable use of sensory images, very effective creation of conflict with a sense of disorientation and loss of control, and a great closure with an ending that offers surprise and humor, shifting away from the SciFi theme.