Being trapped in a luxurious apartment in Manhattan that overlooks the beautiful Big Apple sounds like the dream for many. In fact, that was the reality for the top 1% that live in New York City. But what can be one man’s dream can also be another man’s nightmare — just ask Willem Dafoe in his new film, Inside (no, not the Bo Burnham comedy special with a song about Jeff Bezos). Inside is the new psychological thriller directed by Vasillis Katsoupis and stars Dafoe in what’s basically a one-man show that begs the all-important question of What if you modernized Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse?  

While many films can be simplified when describing their plots, Inside may take the cake in terms of stories that are easy to follow. “Art is for keeps,” says Nemo (Dafoe), an experienced art thief. When a job goes wrong, is stuck inside the penthouse of an affluent man who’s on a business trip. Being that the alarm was set off, Nemo’s left with nothing but his wits and own instincts to survive. 

And what better actor is there to play a man descending into madness in isolation than Dafoe? It feels like half of his roles have included some bit of his performance in Inside (even The Card Counter came to mind). Nemo begins stressed and anxious when the alarms first ring but soon becomes more content once the realization that he’s stuck sinks in (he comes around to “Macarena,” which plays every time the refrigerator is opened). Throughout the 105-minute runtime, Nemo adapts and begins attempting to find ways out. Bear in mind, he’s left with no running water once the alarm goes off; resulting in him using bowls and buckets to collect water from the in-house garden hoses. But as the film progresses and the despair further sets in, Nemo does too. Dafoe’s a very visceral performer, and he really sells the wear and tear that Nemo endures — like when he begins reciting a stand-up routine to an audience of none.

Credit is also due to director Katsoupis and cinematographer Steve Annis. Unlike The Lighthouse, which was constrained in terms of scope, relatively speaking, Inside really has a big sandbox to play in. It feels as though we go through every nook and cranny of the penthouse with Nemo in the film, even uncovering some dark secrets along the way, and the frames are meaningful. Whether it’s the framing of the imprisoned Nemo on one side of the glass and a bird — who is completely free — or the subtlety of the phrases in neon lights on many of the walls, there are little frames that are useless. 

The score, or lack thereof, was an interesting choice that pays off. Frederik van de Moortel composed the score, and for the first half of the film, it’s barely present. As the film builds toward its crescendo, so does the score, but the soft piano keys that occasionally ring through are perfectly timed. The lack of score further emphasizes the noiseless atmosphere that Nemo is enduring. 

I guess all of this was an effort to make Inside as suffocating as it can be. An introvert’s dream really does become the stuff of nightmares as Inside progresses, but that’s also where the film runs into some issues. While a 105-minute film is never something to take for granted — try seeing TÁR, Decision to Leave and White Noise within 24 hours — there becomes a point in Inside where the mundane becomes monotonous. It’s abundantly clear that Nemo isn’t getting out anytime soon, but eventually, it feels as though the viewer is just vegging out in this gigantic living room. 

That’s not to say that Inside never attempts to give Nemo some backstory, but it’s clearly something that Katsoupis — who directed and created the story — and writer Vasilis Katsoupis were clearly uninterested in exploring further. With a film like Inside, which primarily takes place in one location, you have an important decision to make: Do you stay indoors for 100% of the runtime like 12 Angry Men, or do you elongate the film’s runtime and try to give characters more background? In this case, I’d rather have no background explicitly shown and leave it to Dafoe and his wonderful voice-over work to fill in the blanks. 

The idea of Nemo’s fixation on art and it being everlasting should have and could have been explored further. The fact that he’s stuck in a penthouse full of art and that the one constant in his life is his sketchbook paves the way for an interesting theme that’s not fully explored. 

A one-man show of just Dafoe may be too much for some, but he’s awesome as usual. He single-handedly makes this particular character study watchable, but it’s a great concept that’s stretched thin throughout its runtime. 

Inside will be released in theaters on March 17.