Not so long time ago we’ve bumped into an article on the internet based on a revolutionary method of reeducation for people with faulty behaviors. The article was so precise and detailed we thought it would go very well as the backdrop of a movie dealing with difficult patients. And today, because faith works in mysterious ways, we had the chance to see ‘Inland Freaks’, a short movie that is very close to what we’ve thought of.

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The first thing we noticed in this short film was the location and the colors used to express emotions – everything has a vintage hint, a little bit washed up, nothing shiny, nothing bright, an atmosphere that makes you wonder if the so called inmates were allowed to keep their shoelaces. Even though it's only ten minutes long, ‘Inland Freaks’ has a deep and touching atmosphere as the subject used is very profound. At first, we expected something in the manner of ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, but Kalainithan Kalaichelvan surprised us with a movie that flows more to the vibe of ‘Shutter Island’.

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What amazed us was the fact that Kalaichelvan separated his fictional movie world from the outside world. The space used, bounded by thick stone walls impose a sense of claustrophobia on the viewer; it looks impossible to get something out of there, whether is a person, a thought or even a sound. The narrative space is bounded perfectly, looking like a world within a world, a world created for the perfect story. We’ve seen hundreds of movies this year, but only few of them made it through and managed to create such a perfect interior universe where the action  unveils as it should. Kalainithan Kalaichelvan gave the world a movie that can easily compete with the big boys of cinematography. The only "flaw" we found in it is the running time: it should have definitely been longer, because we feel it has many more ideas and emotions to offer… or maybe we will see a sequel, why not?

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Written by Vlad A. G