InSight (2011)

Just perfect...

Better Late Then Never

A Major Disappointment

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I finally had a chance to sit and watch In/Sight. Oh, my gosh. My first reaction once end credits rolled: I'm truly at a loss for words. Not only have I not seen such a well-written, well-directed film in a long time, I haven't ever felt such a kinship with a main character. I understand that is a driving force in films, to have a character that the viewers can relate to, but I felt a definite pull towards understanding Kaitlyn. I don't enjoy spoiling films for future viewers, so I won't go into details as to exactly why, here.The entire movie, I feel, was very well put together, and I was so glad to have to use my mind to follow the plot line, rather than to have everything laid on a platter. I'm notorious for figuring out "whodunit" or knowing that certain things have been foreshadowed strongly, and I honestly was guessing different outcomes the entire time. Kudos to all involved on a job very well done. That is a rarity in film land, these days.

I was blown away by this movie, It was very well thought out and has some great production values from the jump. The first few scenes are particularly intense.I only watched the first 10 minutes, but thought if other people can review a movie after only watching 20 minutes I can go one better !worth watching for the slow build it has, and also for the twists and turns in it. It's isn't a fast paced action flick by any measure, but for psychological thrillers, this isn't a prerequisite.There is a lot to be said for choosing a slower progression in a movie as opposed to taking the quick return, action route that contains no substance. def worth hanging in for up to the ten minute mark anyway.

Natalie Zea (Justified, Dirty Sexy Money) plays the resolute and distressed Kaitlyn. Zea realistically conveys the characters emotions and actions. It's easy to enjoy Zea's noteworthy performance in this film. Kaitlyn not only takes on the task of solving who murdered Alison Parks, but she also provides in home care to her cancer stricken mother Patricia (Veronica Cartwright). Kaitlyn winds up partnering up with Detective Peter Rafferty who is assigned to investigate Allison Park's murder. Detective Peter Rafferty is played by the talented Sean Patrick Flanery of Powder, Young Indiana Jones, and Boondock Saints I & II fame.Flanery gives a solid performance as the over-worked, yet compassionate Detective Rafferty. Rafferty gets to show his tough side as well when he "questions" Allison's stalker-esque ex-boyfriend Stephen Geiger who is played by actor-musician Thomas Ian Nicholas of the T.I.N Men.InSight's pace doesn't let up for a single moment. The films pace even speeds up as it goes into it's final stretch. As I followed each twist and turn in an attempt to piece together Kaitlyn's visions, I still was left guessing who was Allison Park's murderer. The script is craftily devised to keep people on the edge of their seats guessing until the end, and even then the ending is a surprising twist with it being "open to some interpretation". InSight's production values are highly exceptional for an independent film.

InSight is not a film that is easily forgotten nor brushed over. It starts off with some pretty extreme circumstances, we learn through fast cuts and dialogue that a girl named Allison Parks has been brutally attacked and we don't know why. Neither does the main character in the film, Kaitlyn, who plays one of the nurses trying to save Allison's life, as she is suffering from multiple stab wounds. Kaitlyn thinks for a moment that Allison is trying to communicate with her in some way, but before Kaitlyn can find out much, a defibrillator shocks Allison and she dies. The electricity travels through Allison's body and knocks out Kaitlyn, who then begins to see memories from Allison's life or so we are lead to believe for much of the film.The uniqueness of InSight is how in which the story is told. Methodically, as slowly we learn more and less at the same time. I imagine it's hard for an audience to piece together what is real and what is only in Kaitlyn's mind, and I imagine that's the whole point. We struggle as the main character does to try and figure out whether Allison's murder was a random killing or something more. Along the way we are introduced to a skeptical detective, Kaitlyn's sick mother, a sleazy psychiatrist, and Allison's ex-boyfriend, all of these characters add to the mystery. None of them confirm for the audience on which end of the spectrum the story will end. Whether or not this was just a random killing and Kaitlyn is just hallucinating these memories, or there's something more to this murder, and Kaitlyn is the only one who can figure it out.Richard Gabai directs this thriller in a way that allows the audience to piece-by-piece figure things out with the characters. By the end it's really up for interpretation what the truth is. If you see this with a friend, you will be discussing it long after the credits roll.