Lynn Shelton is bringing more wandering characters to the big screen, letting them bounce off each other until havoc breaks loose.
It’s a familiar formula for Shelton, which should please those who latched on to her previous low-key pleasures like Humpday and Your Sister’s Sister. Even her last feature, Laggies, had a similar feel, and it was the first time she hadn’t written the script herself.
She picked up the pen again for Outside In, pairing with Jay Duplass to craft a story about an ex-con, the woman who got him out, and that woman’s husband and kid. Good thing everyone has clearly defined boundaries, otherwise these relationships could get messy.
Come on now, you and I both know that this setup breeds inappropriately intense relationships, mixed messages, and eventual chaos. Duplass positioned himself as the center of this storm by playing the ex-con not so subtly pining over his old teacher. Edie Falco as his amorous subject is in the more difficult position, being stuck between her secure family life and the intense feelings she has for the newly released man.
Not helping things is the budding friendship between the ex-con and Falco’s daughter played by Shelton veteran Kaitlyn Dever. Lots of actors have been repeat players for Shelton in the past, which is perhaps an indication of how enjoyable she is to work with, or maybe it’s because she consistently makes character-focused pieces that give her actors plenty to do. Whatever the reason, she’s kept audiences as well as actors coming back again and again, and Outside In should continue that trend.
Outside In is directed by Lynn Shelton and stars Edie Falco, Jay Duplass, and Kaitlyn Dever. It will be released in the US on March 30th, 2018. Further release dates are not currently known.
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