Inside

Day 3 of the Travelling Film Festival presents Inside. A raw, real and rugged, inexcusably Aussie look at modern prison life. I was fortunate enough to attend an excellent and informative Director’s Masterclass with filmmaker Charles William prior to the screening where he discussed the importance of being flexible and adaptive to the path that your story wants to take. Charles also stuck around for a post-film Q&A - a treat for Alice Spring cinephiles! Mel (Vincent Miller) has aged out of juvie and is on the move into an adult prison. He is at first (ridiculously but not surprisingly) celled with Mark Shepard (Cosmo Jarvis) responsible for an unspeakable crime, who has now found a form of redemption, albeit not necessarily absolution, tough faith. After a support group incident, Mel is shifted under the watchful eye of Warren (Guy Pearce) whose gambling debts may disrupt his pathway to parole. Inside has authenticity and grittiness, but with the unmistakable Aussie humour, albeit a bit darker than usual. Pearce is always brilliant, young Vincent Miller, who was only 15 when cast, perfectly inhabits the troubled, yet self aware young crim and Jarvis completely captures the type of individual you instinctually know is…broken. Many of the actors are former inmates and current prison guards which again lends a level of real. This is a tough space to work in and a tough, yet instantly watchable space to spend time in as an audience. Also I think the Malteasers ad guy is in this!?