‘BO BURNHAM: INSIDE’ IS MORE DEPRESSING THAN FUNNY
Yet you can’t deny that Burnham is still a genius in his own little way. If you’re not easily triggered by ‘Inside,’ diving into Burnham is worth it, if only to watch a fascinating artist with a no-rules approach to a technically proficient comedy show.
Bo Burnham implies in his latest Netflix special (which premiered 30
May) that comedy cannot heal you. He also asks: “Should I be joking at a time like this?” But it’s not clear whether it’s a ploy to lower your expectations in case you don’t LOL at his one-man show, or he truly believes comedy has no place amid this pandemic.
What’s apparent is that Bo Burnham: Inside is more depressing than funny. Literally a one-man project — Burnham performed, shot and edited it in the most part of 2020 at his tiny Los Angeles home — Inside is triggering and relatable. It is angry and overwhelmingly melancholic, packed with existential despair and riddled with suicidal thoughts.
As in his previous comedic work, Burnham sings to express his worldview, but this time as a reluctant hermit working to entertain you from a very dark place of loneliness and isolation.
Concert of despair
In Inside, Burnham, who has visibly aged in his long hair and beard since his last special in 2016, gives us a concert of despair, performing satirical ditties with dismal overtones.
Wth a clever, stylish use of his gadgets, the result is an uncomfortable yet hypnotic performance art. He assumes an assortment of roles: Sesame Street host (accompanied by a Marxist sock puppet), guitar-strumming folk singer, channeling George Michael and wicked carnival barker.
At one point, he waits for midnight to strike as he turns 30, and then belts out a song about the anxieties of aging.
He parodies Internet trends — from a Twitch livestream to pretentious Instagram posts (“Is this heaven or a white woman’s Instagram?”), to reaction videos reacting to himself (“I have this desperate need to be seen as intelligent”) — his eyes consistently showing distress.
Like his audience, he has a toxic relationship with social media. In one of his songs, he laments: “(The) outside world is merely a theatrical space in which one stages and records content for the much more real, much more vital digital space.”
You also see a tortured artist at work. Snippets show Burnham rewatching old clips — “behind-the-scenes” moments where he’s either too self-critical or mentally exhausted.
Some transitions are abrupt, some of the songs and parody sequences suddenly cut, like Burnham losing steam at mid-performance.
At one point, he waits for midnight to strike as he turns 30, and then belts out a song about the anxieties of aging.
Burnham is stranded in his island, like a Robinson Crusoe building content rather than shelter in order to survive a mental health crisis — plugging in audio-video connectors, picking up ports, tinkering with lights and lenses, and turning his camera on to himself.
This less-than-90-minutes of lockdown-induced bleak comedy makes you fear for Burnham’s mental health, as well as yours, because he articulates so well on screen our collective isolation blues and horrific attachment to the virtual world.
Lighting techniques
Many times I was tempted to ditch it, but was hooked by his thrilling lighting techniques, all breathtakingly minimalist — from moody backlights to playful image projections and other experimental play of light and shadow, with a predominant backdrop of synth-pop music.
But Burnham is more skillful as a singer-songwriter and a filmmaker (his debut feature Eighth Grade is a masterpiece) rather than a standup comic. While insightful, his gags are generally superficial, lacking the wit, comedic precision and sharp commentaries that make the likes of Dave Chappelle or Hannah Gadsby far more superior.
‘Inside’ is the most authentic — and creative — quarantine film you’ll probably ever see. But as a comedy special, it creates, rather than relieves, dread and tension.
Even Burnham’s face and voice are devoid of subtle elements that make comics hilarious even when they’re not talking. Burnham merely makes his facial muscles look look goofy like Jim Carrey in Mask and Ace Ventura.
Yet you can’t deny that Burnham is still a genius in his own little way. If you’re not easily triggered by Inside, diving into Burham is worth it, if only to watch a fascinating artist with a no-rules approach to a technically proficient comedy show.
He’s right when he suggests comedy will not solve the world’s problems, but he forgets that humor is a good stress-buster. It calms the nerves and stops panic attacks. Humor is essential in these dark times.
Inside is the most authentic — and creative — quarantine film you’ll probably ever see. But as a comedy special, it creates, rather than relieves, dread and tension.
3 out of 5 stars Stream on Netflix