Inside I'm Dancing - Make You Cry with One Character (Spoiler’s Alert)

     They are called “comedy-dramas”. Just like Shakespeare, they can make you laugh and cry at the same time. Don’t get fooled by its name because some of these “comedies” are still tear jerking dramas. Drama as a genre mostly features real life situations instead of mind-blowing explosions, fascinating CGI, or detective-based mystery solving. Therefore screenwriters and editors have to choreograph every appearance, every move, and every word subtly and painstakingly in the film to drive audience’s emotions. In a successful comedy-drama, every character, every line, every move, exists for a reason.

     Last week I watched a film called Inside, I’m Dancing. The film precisely demonstrates the beauty of choreography. As dances are often composed of different sections and in each section there is a lead dancer who is crucial in showing the beauty of the performance, the film progresses through three distinct stages and in each stage we see how the primary and secondary actor switch seats and interact.

© 2005 Focus Features. All rights reserved.

     The movie is about two disabled young man who lives in a Residential Home for Disabled. Rory O’ Shea (James McAvoy), the newly resident, is the only person who can understand the words of Michael Connolly, the other main character who lost most of his mobile abilities and his voice. At the beginning Rory dominates the plot. Being the rebellious, freedom-seeking and active one among the two, he leads Michael out to outside of the Residential Home and opens up a new world for him. He takes him to a night club, charms girls and squanders the money collected for the Residential Home. At the same time another story line tells how Rory’s applications for Independent Living are always struck down because of his irresponsibility.

Still of Michael (Steven Robertson) in Rory O'Shea Was Here (2004) © 2005 Focus Features. All rights reserved.

Still of Rory (James McAvoy) in Rory O'Shea Was Here (2004) © 2005 Focus Features. All rights reserved.

     Michael's character is a man in the background. But soon he sparks an idea of also applying for independence living and is approved. Rory, the one and only translator, gets to leave with him. During the hardship of moving out for the first time, Rory gave Michael great help and gets both of them a place to live at. Later they meet Siobhan who is willing to take care of the two wheelchair bounded men. Here is when the script starts to turn.

     Rory’s character soon goes down to doomed trivial life, sporadically creating small troubles for the other two while Michael, on the other hand, transforms to be more confident, more mature as a man. Siobhan starts to teach Michael how to read with a clearer utterance and invites Michael and Rory to a party. Rory’s old boisterous character is now weakened greatly in the script as he is giving way to Michael’s character. On the dance floor Siobhan rejected Michael’s affection with disgust and Michael goes to James Joyce Bridge to commit suicide. Rory’s character shows importance for charging into the rain and talking Michael out of the desperation by telling him he still has the most precious treasure in life – a future.

Visit ksyunya’s blog for more pictures of James Mcavoy.

     As Michael dreams about his future, Rory’s character keeps fading off. Michael’s character transforms from weak to strong, from childish to mature, from helpless to self-reinforcing, and from dependent to independent. He can speak more clearly, act more composedly, and envision his future with more bravery and determination. The film is close to its consummation but there is one more thing to get rid of – Rory. This is the reason why I said every character is there for a reason. Rory’s character finishes serving his purpose, but the screenwriters squeezed the last bit of value out of the character - his death.

     If Rory did not die, the movie would end up being much less tear jerking and presumably having a much smaller box office. But he did. The screenwriters let Rory’s health condition deteriorate, with only a few more days to live and blamed it on the rain on that day Rory got on himself on his way to saving Rory. Here comes the best part of the film: Michael goes to the review board on behalf of Rory and applied for independent living rights. Now the two characters are completely reversed – The weaker becomes the stronger, the dependent becomes the independent, and the taker becomes the giver.

© 2005 Focus Features. All rights reserved.

     Before Michael reaches the hospital with the paper of allowance, Rory has already passed away. Michael goes back to their place, thinks of Rory one last time, then shuts the door to Rory’s room, implying the completely burial of the character who was once the center of the film.

In the last scene, we see Michael, determined and self-assured, heads towards his next destination among the crowd in the street, alone.

Check out the trailer of the film!