Bo Burnham Inside: Review

Bo Burnham is one of my favourite filmmakers working today. If there is anyone who truly encapsulates the madness, darkness and humour of the modern day, it's this man.

Burnham has been on my radar for a while, mostly due to his brand of internet humour and comedy songs. His shows are darker than your average comedy special. He's unafraid to leave dead silences or side-track into rambling political monologues. Burnham's work is like mould, strange and off-putting until it starts growing on you.

I say he's one of my favourite filmmaker's rather than comedians because even his stand-up work feels more film-like. The Bo we see on stage is a constructed character, an exaggeration of all his worst and best qualities and each live performance is structured with acts like a film. His directorial debut Eighth Grade further cements his place in the film industry and explores many of the same themes as Inside.

Inside is an experimental comedy special created by Burnham during the pandemic, all from the confines of a small studio room. Directed, written, lit and shot by Burnham in isolation the show features a jumble of sketches, songs, monologues and set pieces which are not as random as they first appear.

As the pandemic continues and Burnham's mental health deteriorates he explores the now symbiotic relationship between entertainment and the internet, politics, and his own relationship to comedy during difficult times. The result is an Alice in Wonderland like wormhole into the human condition which left me in awe of its scope in such a limited space.

The way Burnham uses light and space throughout Inside is one of the most enjoyable aspects of it. Using a collage of projections, set design and coloured lights, his performances are bursting with life and style. If you're not laughing at the lyrics you're laughing at the sheer amount of effort you know must have gone into each segment. I loved the experimental techniques, the mixture between single-take "live" performance and more cinematic music videos. It's like going to an art exhibit all about the impact of modern technology on human interaction and mental health.

Although each song is riddled with Burnham's signature dry wit and pessimism, I got a lot of joy through the visuals alone and the creativity. Even if he's not your cup of tea it's undeniable that the man has talent. As a filmmaker who has felt stagnant over the last year or so I felt jealous of what he has been able to achieve here. It's amazing what playing around in an empty room can accomplish. I now consider myself to have no excuses.

I don't want to spoil too much since I think part of the joy of Inside is going in blind. There is a fatigue to the themes around half way through. Another straight white man telling us how messed up the world is (Which he cheekily references within the opening number) but there is a charisma to Bo which I was drawn to even in the films slowest moments. From a filmmaking perspective Inside excites me and as a dark comedy lover Bo Burnham tickles my funny bone. There is pathos in spades here and the strange visuals and claustrophobic insanity has left an impression.

I'd even go so far to say that Inside is "The Lockdown Film" that has captured this moment like nothing else I've seen. It's hilarious, upsetting and just wonderfully made.

As difficult as it was to make, this might be the work Burnham will be remembered for.

9/10