The I Inside
June 2005 Reviewed by: James Saxon Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

In the plot of one of my favorite light comedies, a selfish cad is forced to relive a series of events until he learns to appreciate other people’s virtues. Groundhog Day is not a top-100 movie, but its clever variations on a theme appeal to me.

While watching The I Inside, I first thought that the plot paralleled Groundhog Day. A hospital patient seems to be reliving a period of time, while past and present episodes recur with increasing significance. Unlike Groundhog Day, the main character does not change for the better. Instead, his situation seems to fluctuate between bad and worse until the very end. By then, I realized the goal of the movie was not to develop the main character’s world view as much as it was to involve the viewer in a puzzle whose clues are revealed within the recurring scenes.

Sometimes, I enjoy "clue" films. The Usual Suspects comes to mind. However, movies that pose a rigorous challenge to my sense of place and time leave me fatigued. The setting of The I Inside is ostensibly a hospital, where the main character wakes up to find he has lost two years out of his life. At the risk of disclosing too much, I would suggest the real setting is elsewhere. While some viewers might relish the opportunity to piece together the meaning of the convoluted flashbacks, I prefer linear, external action. It depends on one’s purpose in choosing a video to watch. In my case, I would forego a second opportunity to view the strobe-like scene changes that convey the meaning of The I Inside.

From the perspective of a home-theater fan, the DVD release is not particularly challenging. There are no trailers. Extras consist of French subtitles and a Spanish-language option. I did appreciate the inclusion of English subtitles for the hearing impaired. Perhaps because of the soundtrack’s admirable dynamic range, I was unable to understand quiet dialogue at a volume level that was comfortable for loud passages. I am loath to disturb the quiet setting of my TV room. Thus, I wound up reading most of the dialogue onscreen.

For home-theater buffs with video projectors, the movie’s dark atmosphere will require a lamp setting of High. However, frequent close-ups provide plenty of chances to ooh and ah at the degree of fine detail.

For those whose DVD player permits switching video resolutions, the 1080i setting will prove itself far superior to 780p. In one scene a doctor has a red pen in the pocket of his white jacket. At 780p, the pen is vaguely present. In 1080i it stands out as a bright scarlet symbol, which is appropriate since a lot of blood is spilled in furtherance of the movie’s quest for meaning.

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