Bo Burnham's Inside is a Masterpiece

The best way to describe Inside is mesmerizing. I was mesmerized by the camera work, every shot beautifully fulfilling a larger purpose. Mesmerized by the themes, Bo's honesty and vulnerability. Mesmerized by songs that got me thinking about my own life and how I fit into the world. Inside will stand the test of time as the best thing released during the pandemic.

The special is a perfect quarantine time capsule. It takes place in a single room and Bo's mental state slowly deteriorates throughout. His helpless frustration demonstrates what a lot of people have been going through. The songs start playful with Facetime my Mom and White Womans Instagram. But as Bo spends more time inside it gets incredibly introspective.

Look who's inside again, went out to look for a reason to hide again.

This quote from Stuck in a Room spoke to me. Bo explains how he spent a long time hiding himself away because of his battle with depression. And when Bo finally felt like he could come outside again, the pandemic started. Bo tried to take the leap out of his comfort zone, but he immediately got swatted down to the rock bottom he climbed out of. It leaves a pit in my stomach.

A consistent theme with Bo Burnham is criticizing technology. The frightening reality of children raised to crave technology and seek validation from social media. We are all on a stage, where the details of our fabricated personas are constantly judged. The more we simplify the world, the more we complicate life.

Apathy's a tragedy and boredom is a crime.

This quote comes from my new favourite Bo Burnham song: Welcome to the Internet. I constantly struggle with filling my free time. It has become far too easy to pick up my phone when I'm bored. As if being bored for longer than five minutes is ridiculous because there's always another option. I'm trying to relearn how to be bored. Being able to just sit in it without craving technology.

Inside is definitely funny but I wouldn't classify it as a comedy special. The funniest parts, to me, were the skits. The reaction video, the video game stream, and the brand awareness skits were all hilarious. But Bo uses the subtext of these skits and songs to send a more important message. Bo gives a raw portrayal of his own mental state, with topics like how he's afraid of turning 30 and how creating the special was keeping him alive. This emotional honesty makes everything so engaging and magnetizing. You can feel his passion and anger.

Bo Burnham gives an onslaught of comedy and introspection over the course of an hour and thirty minutes. I never felt disengaged and I instead felt like I gained a new perspective on life. And of course some of the songs are absolute bangers that I currently have on repeat. I want to end on two quotes from the song Funny Feeling.

Twenty thousand years of this; seven more to go.
What can you say, we were overdue, but it'll be over soon.