Guy Pearce Inside Movie

★★★★★

"Brutal brilliance. Top tier Australian cinema. Unforgettable" – The Curb

★★★★½

"Poised on perfection. Williams performs miracles" – Screenhub

Bonsai Films has launched the official trailer for crime thriller INSIDE, the debut feature film from award-winning writer-director Charles Williams, whose short film All These Creatures won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

Golden Globe nominee Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) and impressive newcomer Vincent Miller (Plum) lead a strong cast of local talent including Toby Wallace (Babyteeth), Chloé Hayden (Heartbreak High) and Michael Logo (Colin from Accounts).

A gripping crime thriller set within the confines of a prison, Williams' feature directorial debut plunges into the intricate complexities of human limitations and rehabilitation with compassion and empathy. Departing from traditional genre expectations, it focuses not on physical escape but on the internal struggles and ethical dilemmas faced by its characters, embarking on a metaphorical voyage through inner turmoil and moral reckoning. It is a film about the prisons into which we are forced and those we make for ourselves.

Williams invites audiences to delve into the lives of those who have caused harm and the intricate web of emotions that surrounds their experiences. Drawing from his personal history, meticulous research and an insightful understanding of human behaviour, Williams crafts a narrative that challenges conventional perceptions of prison life and the individuals within it.

Writer-director Charles Williams said, "Inside is a movie that's been with me in some form or another for the better part of a decade. I wanted to make the kind of film that resonated with me growing up. Movies that you could get lost in, often uncovering very specific worlds and complicated characters. They felt very real but also oddly transporting and almost spiritual – while still being visceral, cinematic experiences for the big screen. It's been such an honour to collaborate with this incredible cast and crew to bring Inside to life."

Synopsis: After being transferred from juvenile to adult prison, Mel Blight (Vincent Miller) is taken under the wing of both Mark Shepard (Cosmo Jarvis), Australia's most despised criminal, and Warren Murfett (Guy Pearce), a soon-to-be-a-paroled inmate. As a paternal triangle grows between them, we see that even the worst of men have a little bit of good inside that will be their undoing.

"Until you are able to accept yourself, no matter where you are…

will be some kind of prison" – Mark Shepard

INSIDE is produced by Marian Macgowan (Two Hands, The Great) for Macgowan Films and Kate Glover (Hot Milk, The Phantom of the Open) for Never Sleep Pictures, with Thomas M. Wright (The Stranger, Acute Misfortune) serving as executive producer. Financed in association with VicScreen with support from the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund and Screen NSW.

INSIDE WILL BE RELEASED IN CINEMAS FEBRUARY 27