[Lynn Shelton's] actors are always natural and unaffected, but in [Edie] Falco and [Jay] Duplass, she's found interpreters who seem to breathe her characters.
It's a completely believable web of conflicting desires among people who lack the language and wherewithal to ask for what they want. But stick with it, and Outside In's relentless sadness gives way to something more gently hopeful...
It merely entangles Chris and Carol in unworkable circumstances, which Shelton opens up with a deftly portrayed supporting cast, hardscrabble imagery, and reckonings that mostly emerge from empathy.
Falco is aces at this kind of performance-though it's quieter than we've seen her in a long time-and Duplass, who co-wrote the movie, nearly sags with sadness.
This is an conversation- and character-driven film with an occasional eye for something more ineffable, but Falco and Duplass's complicated, nakedly searching performances are the main event.
Takes some time to develop that tension into something genuinely dramatic, but Falco's performance is strong enough to make the film compelling even in its softest moments.
Bolstered by the quiet compassion that has always been her strong suit, Shelton has turned in another stunning independent feature that no one who enjoys the quieter side of life should miss.
