Outside In
The Orchard | Release Date: March 30, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangMar 29, 2018
Duplass' puppy-dog affect may seem softer than you'd expect for a character who spent 20 years behind bars, but the actor's quietly wrenching performance gives the lie to any easy assumptions about the experience of the incarcerated. And Falco...gives a performance of aching depth and subtlety. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldApr 5, 2018
Outside In is about connection, and about two remarkable actors telling us a story. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 28, 2018
Shelton may not be as prolific as the Duplasses (I’m not sure anyone could be – they seem to churn out movies in their sleep), but her work has steadily gotten more assured and quietly powerful. Her continued partnership with the brothers is a tonic for anyone who cares about keeping the Sundance-of-the-‘90s spirit alive. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnFeb 8, 2018
Shelton’s work is understated, but elevates seemingly forgettable scenarios with a wise, humane approach that makes even a lesser work like Outside In a cut above the market standard. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthFeb 8, 2018
Outside In is not a story filled with events or even big moments, but, instead, accumulates its momentum through the numerous small decisions that eventually bring our leads to a hard won understanding. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaApr 2, 2018
This is an conversation- and character-driven film with an occasional eye for something more ineffable, but Falco and Duplass’s complicated, nakedly searching performances are the main event. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 29, 2018
In a movie whose greatest tension comes from wondering whether Chris will violate his parole by drinking a beer, the actors need to be compelling. Easily clearing that bar, Ms. Falco gives Carol a gentle kindness and the emotional intelligence to transform Chris’s ardor into a catalyst. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeFeb 8, 2018
A love story whose resolution remains tough to predict, Outside In respects all its characters by not pretending their choices are easily made. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveyFeb 8, 2018
Outside In feels eventful, even somewhat suspenseful, as we worry that being around so many screwups of one sort or another might endanger Chris’ still-fragile freedom. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comAllison ShoemakerMar 30, 2018
Shelton and Duplass may not stray very far from the path which, at the film’s outset, they seem likeliest to take, and not every moment along that path lands quite as well as it could. But like Bird’s score, Outside In knows how to take us from the outside and bring us, well, in. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 29, 2018
Thoughtful performances render this intimate drama a rewarding and engrossing look into life after prison, and a mystery well worth waiting for its unraveling. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMar 28, 2018
While this is probably Shelton’s best fully scripted dramatic feature — a big improvement on the incoherent "Touchy Feely" (2013) — it’s the sort of earnest, conventional movie that many indie directors could make (and many do). Read full review
75
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonMar 25, 2018
Lynn Shelton's film firmly resists supplying its main characters with easy, you-can-have-it-all answers. Read full review
70
TheWrapRobert AbeleMar 30, 2018
Needless to say, this kind of thing wouldn’t work if its leads didn’t have chemistry, and Duplass and Falco do a wonderful job keeping up our hopes for them as we fear the slightest dip in the outlook for their lives, whether together or apart. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAbbey BenderMar 29, 2018
The drama of Outside In is largely underplayed. It’s a tale of people seeking simple lives on their own terms, and while it may be withholding, its small scale seems a statement on just how many worthy stories are kept behind bars. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMay 23, 2018
What keeps Outside In interesting throughout is the nuanced work of its so very watchable leads – especially Duplass, who spent the first half of his career behind the camera writing, directing, and producing film and TV with his brother Mark. Read full review
65
The AtlanticDavid SimsMar 31, 2018
Falco’s performance is strong enough to make the film compelling even in its softest moments. Read full review
50
The Film StageJordan RuimyFeb 8, 2018
The struggles that Chris and Carol are put through may be brought to life with an authentic touch by Shelton, but they are explored with much complexity in better, more substance-filled endeavors. Read full review
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