''Inside'' (french: Histoire de pen, also released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as ''Banged Up'') is a Québécois film directed by

Michel Jetté Michel Jetté is a French-speaking Quebecer, Québécois director, screenwriter, producer and editor. He produced three full-length movies, several short films, and over a hundred television reports.

and released in 2002, about a young man's time in a

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

. It is based on Léo Lévesque's collection of prison stories ''Contes en coup de poing''. The film was classified 13+ in Québec and 18+ in the United Kingdom, and features Emmanuel Auger, Karyne Lemieux and David Boutin.

Plot summary

19-year-old Claude begins a 10-year sentence at a penitentiary. Rousseau, a member of Tarzan's gang, attempts to rape him soon after his entry, but Claude is not a novice at fighting and dissuades him from further attempts. Tarzan puts out a contract to assassinate him. The leader of a rival gang, Zizi Grenier, reveals the contract to Claude and offers his protection if Claude will fight for him. The two gangs hold public

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

events to avoid all-out war, with disputed territories put on the line. Claude accepts, but over the course of these duels learns of the power games playing out in the background. Claude becomes friends with Lucia (a

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

) and Jacques (a

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdr ...

). He tells them about his love for a girl named Karine and their misadventures which led to his imprisonment, including

petty theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

car theft Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported ...

, drug use, an attempted

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

gone wrong, and finally involuntary manslaughter during their escape. Lucia is later found dead in her cell. Claude quits the fights, and befriends a man known as "the Phantom". After Claude is raped with the secret backing of the prison administration, the Phantom helps him escape by illicitly getting him into the prison workshop, and hiding him in a locker shipped out of the prison. Claude rejoins Karine in her drug business, but on a delivery comes across one of the gang members who aided in his rape, arranges a meeting, and murders him. He is arrested and returned to the penitentiary, to learn of Jacques' suicide. Soon after he is subdued when he learns that he has AIDS, and at the Phantom's request is transferred to a minimum-security prison. The movie ends with a letter from the Phantom to Karine informing her of his transfer.

Cast

* Emmanuel Auger as Claude * Karyne Lemieux as Karine * David Boutin as Jacques le Schizo * Paul Dion as L'Fantôme * Dominic Darceuil as Lucia * Sylvain Beauchamps as Tarzan * Louis-David Morasse as Rousseau * Jean-Robert Bourdage as Voix du trou (voice) * Gabriel Bélanger as La Comete Blonde * Deano Clavet as Piston * Christopher Dyson as Claude (voice) * Stéphane Ouellet as Boxeur * Jean-Sébastien Poirier as Zizi Grenier * Michèle Péloquin as Agente Correctionnel - CO

Reception

''Inside'' has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Scott Foundas of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

on 16 October 2002 stated a "by-the-numbers prison drama", with a "litany of prison-movie cliches" and it "won’t travel far outside its native borders". efilmcritic.com said a "gritty, uncompromising prison drama", "it's hard to watch, but it rings so true that it can't be dismissed" and "not a feel-good picture, but it is extremely well made". Charles-Henri Ramond from filmsquebec.com stated it was a "dark and violent social drama".

Accolades

It won an award at the Nickel Independent Film Festival in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

. The film received four Genie Award nominations at the

23rd Genie Awards The 23rd Genie Awards were held in 2003 to honour films released in 2002. The ceremony was hosted by Arsinée Khanjian and Peter Keleghan. Nominees and winners The Genie Award winner in each category is shown in bold text. References {{Cana ...

in 2003, for Best Supporting Actor (Darceuil), Best Cinematography ( Larry Lynn), Best Overall Sound (Gavin Fernandes, Bobby O'Malley and Philippe Pelletier) and Best Sound Editing (Louis Collin, Natalie Fleurant and Denis Saindon)."2003 Genie Awards nominees"
'' Playback'', December 19, 2002.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0277625, Histoire de pen
Synopsis
at

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

2002 films Films directed by Michel Jetté Canadian prison drama films Canadian LGBT-related films 2002 LGBT-related films LGBT-related drama films 2000s prison drama films 2002 drama films French-language Canadian films HIV/AIDS in Canadian films 2000s Canadian films