How Bo Burnham Did The Impossible

How do you make sitting alone inside of a room cinematic? It sounds impossible, but in Bo Burnham's latest special "Inside," he did exactly that. Let's look at his experimentation with lighting, lyricism, and the digital world to see how he pulled it off.
Twitter: / jacknugent27
Patreon: / nowyouseeit

[@CliffDiverBOA]

I can guarantee "Inside" will be the only film that truly captures the maddening loneliness of quarantine than any Hollywood production that going to attempt to do in the coming years.

[@hollandscottthomas]

It's the most accurate portrayal of the emotional state of 2020 that there is, at least in part because it's autobiographical.

[@erfbf]

I truly believe that there are dozens of documentaries being produced right now about the pandemic. Most of them probably will have a "apocalyptic" vibe, just like the intro for The Last of Us. But after seeing Inside, all of sudden I realized that the best documentaries about this whole mess will be the ones focusing on the human aspect of it all instead of trying to capture the "end of the world". In that regard, Inside is certainly the first (and surely of the best) of these productions. Hollywood won't ever be able to capture the human state during the pandemic like this lonely, talented and anxious dude.

[@KarlSnarks]

Not just quarantine either, but the general malaise of the modern age from a personal perspective rather than a societal perspective.

[@zombiesxaliens]

Every Hollywood quarantine movie will be soulless. It will be made for money. Bo's humanity is why Inside is so fucking good.

[@Sabor180]

Yup, I can see it happening

[@mindyobidniz]

To this day “Inside” is the funniest psychological horror I have ever seen.

[@marietailor3100]

*Correction: Next to Get Out 😛

[@DustyyBoi]

can you really say "to this day" when it's been out for a month? that's quite a low standard to aim for.

[@mindyobidniz]

@@DustyyBoi I mean, yes? Sure nothing else has come out to top it because it’s only been out for a month, but it also surpasses everything that has come before it. It’s also setting the context in the current moment, as to keep it open to being potentially bested in the future by something else.

[@cayden_taylor]

@@DustyyBoi I think that may be the joke. Could also be wrong

[@ding-dong_bing-bong]

@@marietailor3100 no marie just no.😌

[@7Comic7mischief7]

Bo went ahead and made an artistic and accurate representation of 2020 while making a fair critique of himself doing so. Dude is incredible.

[@Lampboi-jp6dt]

I think 2020 (and into 2021), for as shitty as it was, could lead to more understanding by non-mentally ill people towards people with depression, anxiety, etc. The feeling I've heard a lot of my extroverted friends talk about as they are wary of actually reintroducing themselves to society, is similar to what myself and my other friends suffering from mental illnesses feel on the daily whenever they have to go out. I have to give myself a pep talk, and hope that nobody is outside when I leave my house because it kills my motivation to go out. It's not healthy, and it's something I need to work on, but after 25+ years of feeling this anxiety, it hasn't really gotten better. It's nice to see other people experience a fraction of this hesitation, because maybe they will understand a bit of what myself, and I'm sure many more people experience. "Got it? Good. Now get inside" to me is a line that hits harder than most in the special because it is similar to what my brain tells me if something bad happens when I'm not "inside". Almost like a "I told you so".

[@Kilioh15]

And while not mentioning the pandemic a single time.

[@ZackScroggins]

@@Nonesovile96 Then you have a lot of growing up to do. This idea that if kids like something you can't makes you seem incredibly childish.

[@Lampboi-jp6dt]

@@Nonesovile96 so the idea that others relate/enjoy people who are harmless entertainers with no real controversies behind them, makes you hate them? Shouldn't your love/hate be based on how the person relates to yourself, and not to others? You need to self examine a bit and not let others shape your opinion simply for having a positive one of their own.

[@kp-fc4yr]

@@Nonesovile96 why do you hate them specifically? And if you dislike Burnham, why did you click on a video specifically about his most recent special?

[@notaskye]

One of my favorite background things about this is how the room got progressively more cluttered and messy as time went on. Represents the whole aspect of being stuck inside for a whole year so very well.

[@TheKillahKyla]

And how his hair and beard kept getting longer

[@w3ghe711]

Imo the same is true for the general special. It starts out pretty well structured with a lot of ‘normal’ songs and bits. The longer it goes on the less structured and the messier it becomes

[@evnnns]

You felt LIBERATED when he grabbed the camera? That felt like assault to me, he violated the boundary between the performance and the audience, and that felt like the point to me. I appreciated it for how horrific it was.

[@meganconte5658]

i felt genuinely scared of him in that moment, and i think it was liberating for him that we would see him as a real human with flaws, even for a moment

[@nyanbrox5418]

Yeah I was pretty scared too xD Danger when you are pulled out of your device

[@zebra24-7]

SAME SAME SAME

[@DCaedus]

I felt it like him giving us a peak inside his mind, tearing down the calm and cynical exterior for some moments.

[@tamannathakur4935]

Yes, I started crying at that moment, I didn't know why. I was just disturbed all through the special and that moment felt like the crescendo.

[@kafka5795]

Can i just say, your video about "How Bo Burnham uses light" aged like the finest of Wine

[@DenKulesteSomFins]

Aged better than Vine

[@Zeegil]

@@DenKulesteSomFins I chuckled harder than I probably should have at this... well done.

[@partlyironic]

I literally thought about that video constantly while watching Inside

[@kylenicol5722]

@@DenKulesteSomFins That hurt my millenials ass more than you believe.

[@erob9446]

He understands the Language of Light

[@gentlemandemon]

It's honestly difficult to call this a comedy special because it feels so much bigger than that. There's so many times where I the visuals and music both competed for my attention in compelling ways. And let's not ignore that this special has some absolute bops in it.

[@hiphillbert]

Exactly why I never wanted to call it a "comedy" special

[@johnc2802]

It's a great piece of artwork. Truly exceptional from my point of view.

[@ajilpappachan]

I will never ever call it a comedy special. I always refer to it as "art"

[@Michaelonyoutub]

All of Bo Burnham's specials seem less "comedic" on repeated viewings and as you learn about the deeper meanings behind bits and songs

[@teresatomas9425]

I laughed a lot less than any of his other comedy work. But I was also hooked the entire time

[@nateb4543]

I really hope he wins whatever award would mean the most to him

[@sarahclemens611]

Probably the "fuck, it stimulated my need for cinematic art and really opened my eyes on a whole new different level" award from its viewers ... 💥💖👌🏼

[@Edward_Roblnson]

Freedom from that room

[@bayonetababe9697]

Well he just got nominated for 6 Emmy awards. I personally think he deserves them all. I hope he at least wins a few.

[@woollypar353]

The tall person award

[@sammybutler3027]

@@bayonetababe9697 But emmys are for shows, what shows did he make?

[@PoppynRye]

This may be classified as a comedy, but my boyfriend and I sobbed when we watched it. We still listen to the album all the time and I listened to it a few nights ago so I could cry. It’s devastating.

[@chloeg.4640]

Same. I had a very bad panic attack the first time I watched it, still coming back every time I see it on my Netflix catalogue hahaha

[@thepunchingbag]

whats it called i cant find it

[@Emofishy666]

fr i watched it in the bathtub and my face looked like 😶 the whole time

[@asylumbat]

I couldn’t watch the whole thing in one sitting. It took me like three days to watch it.

[@PoppynRye]

@@thepunchingbag the album is “Inside (the songs)” I think ? I’m not sure if you meant the special or the album, but I found the album on Spotify

[@oscarhample]

The ending sequence is INSANE. When he's on the outside and trying to get back inside, it feels like he's on a stage and we're just watching his desperation. Truly horrific and so deep. Nothing will ever be like what he has made, ever.

[@CMUShawna]

I SOBBED at the ending. The whole special is amazing

[@CryingShayme]

Can we just take moment to appreciate that while this may feel like a quarantine special, Bo cleverly made it not about the quarantine at all. I don't think he even mentions it explicitly once. Instead, it is about aspects of modern reality that the quarantine has simply brought to a head and made doubly salient in our day-to-day lives. So people watch it now and say "Yeah, he really nailed the feeling of being socially isolated during COVID," but the special will probably still be just as relevant 5 years after this has all ended.

[@LukeBeeman]

In "All Eyes on Me", he mentions that he felt ready to reenter the world in January 2020, and then "the funniest thing happened", which feels like a pretty unambiguous reference to the quarantine even if he never literally says "pandemic", "quarantine", "COVID", etc. but I agree that the special is stronger for its focus on isolation/anxiety in general.

[@xboxer808]

Nice point, I wasn’t convinced from most analyses that this was profound specifically because it “simulated isolation during the 2020 pandemic”, that feeling and experience varied for everyone in my opinion, plus the feeling of isolation is not unique to only a pandemic. Like you said it showcases modern reality, and Bo showed the nuances extremely well with S-tier cinematography, writing, and music

[@artyb27]

@@LukeBeeman you're right, but there's still not an explicit mention. It's as though he deliberately cuts that narration short so that he doesn't mention the pandemic. He merely alludes to it.

[@torterranartist4469]

The pandemic allowed him to make something anyone who watched it would understand and empathise/sympathise with. Now most of the world has experienced isolation in some form, Inside has become something universally understandable.

[@michigo_xo]

@@torterranartist4469 the point they’re trying to make is even if this special came out years before the pandemic the things he wrote about are still things that cut deep and are relevant to our feelings of loneliness/anxiety/introversion/etc. the pandemic just brought these experiences to the surface but we could always relate to this special. As someone who’s mentally ill I didn’t watch it as a covid theme but something anyone who has experienced depression can relate to.

[@maevemonroe]

The "Welcome to the Internet"/"Welcome to KZbin" connection is fascinating. It shows both how the internet has changed and how Burnham's perspective on the internet evolved. There was always some cynicism and dark humor there but Inside really wrestles with how scary and seductive the internet is now.

[@barrier5649]

I thought of welcome to KZbin immediately when I saw welcome to the internet, but I couldn’t remember when he made welcome to KZbin

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@barrier5649 youtube recommend "Welcome to youtube" to me right after I watched "Inside" on netflix. How's THAT for dystopian? And NO, I would NOT like to change my capitalization, thank you very much robot.

[@Jaykayorso]

To be fair, welcome to youtube was kinda promo song made for a youtube event or something like that. He probably had some hands tied when creating the song, as it was more like commissioned from him rather than his own thing he uploaded.

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

It’s the simple difference between 20 year old Bo’s naivety and 30 year old Bo’s learned experience.

[@amazingdancingturnips9236]

"But look I made you some content" was the line that really set the tone of 'Inside' for me; Bo has done so much outside the world of KZbin, but I think in his heart he is a KZbinr still. He understands the internet in ways that most filmmakers don't and knows that from the company's perpective (whether KZbin or Netflix) content is content; the algorithim is cold and unfeeling and sees no difference between a film length performance art piece or a 2 minute prank video. He does an amazing job in the special of keeping us all walking the line between laughing and crying, pointing out the riduculous and emphasising the humanity.

[@Glade4]

feels so funny to read these comments that make something seem so much more than it is lol

[@SPOOFY_D]

@@Glade4 It's not really reading that deep tbf. One of Bo's most consistent themes throughout his work has been the hollow relationship between creators and their audience. Art is Dead, his Kanye Rant (can't remember if it had a name or not), and the entirety of the special following that line all reinforce the theme OP mentioned. Just because he got a lot out of one line doesn't mean he's reaching or it isn't there.

[@artyb27]

I completely know what you mean. I clicked on Inside unaware of all the hype, just looking for something new to watch. That line really let me know what I was in for.

[@ameddayr]

@@Glade4 you don't see it, your loss

[@ScottJBailey12]

I think "while getting paid, and being the center of attention" is the most significant line in the entire piece. Bo Burnham entertains. Top to bottom. "Daddy made your favorite, open wide, here comes some content" succeeds at paying off the dopamine loop. It's content that delivers the endorphins again and again. Literally. Another point I'm fascinated with is his obsession with recycling old comic material into his shows, almost to prove a point that you can say anything, if you say it right, even if it's been done 1000 times. Or maybe even that all comics should be able to recycle "The funniest thing happened." "A jew walks into a bar." "is is is is is is is is what do you stand for?" It's like a class in saying "don't write these things into your script." No other comic can pull this off. But he's a performer, not a comic. He'll be offered a good guy role but he should take the bad guy role. And then maybe he'll just stay in a room and make content. And I haven't even gotten started on the birthday present he made for himself, his family, his loved ones. When that guy leaves this planet, on his birthday, we'll be playing that video in a hundred years. His family will play it forever. Balls of steel. AND... He's nudging Paul Rudd from the sexiest man in Hollywood... just saying...

[@trows-bridgedale-brush2963]

In the opening song, when he said "I made you some content" and tilted his head lamp up, I got chills and immediately knew I'd be watching this special many times over.

[@clairbear1234]

Totally agree. Such a thrilling moment when seeing it for the first time (and everytime)

[@DeathBean89]

Daddy definitely delivered on the promise of content.

[@siennalawrence3159]

omg me too. that was the point when I knew it was going to be amazing watching it.

[@MrDarkSammy]

"Inside" spoke to me on so many levels. I don't consider it as a portrayal of the pandemic, more like true expression of what it feels like to be stuck in a personal chaos with no way out. It felt like watching the inside of my head. Like an intrusion. I loved and hated every second of it.

[@bertvsrob]

"got it? good, now get inside" wasn't just a comment on the effects of covid, or governments' response to covid but also speaks to the debilitating nature of chronic anxiety and its persistence and primacy despite any conscious grasp of facts to the contrary

[@NowYouSeeIt]

Well said

[@lewisgibson228]

it also feels pretty infantilising, like it's been said to a child who's stayed out late

[@dabading2860]

@@lewisgibson228 yeah I kinda feel the same way about the "well, well, look whos inside again"-line. Idk to me it feels patronizing and like it embodies the shame and helplessness youre made to feel as a mentally ill person, not only by the illness itself, but also by how people treat you because of it. but thats just what I took away from it.

[@jherikomark]

I interpreted it as dealing with depression, stagnation and overcoming it. But that's just me. I'm sure he meant to not get too specific either, to leave the song being open to interpretation.

[@bertvsrob]

@@jherikomark indeed, it is nuanced. 'inside' speaks to me the same way in that context i.e. inside oneself, away from others and the outside world. that isolation is entropy made manifest

[@kenziebailey9142]

i've groaned at most every other "why bo burnham is a genius (INSIDE analysis)" video that's come up on my suggested, but i had a feeling yours would be different. I was super right.

[@NowYouSeeIt]

Thank you! :)

[@TheFuzzyEarmuffs]

Ditto! I was going to post the same

[@over1498]

Nah I felt the same about this one too lol. Overanalyzing every minor angle and effect and adding meaning that probably wasn't there 🤣 I mean I could be wrong, we'd all love a behind the scenes on this special... But... I just imagine Bo hearing all these detailed critiques and saying "wtf lol I was using the zoom and lights because I had no camera or lighting crew, chill" Doesn't matter, the dude's a genius whether or not he was digging into everyone's subconscious and making IMPOSSIBLY subtle and deep commentary like all these review videos suggest. for example, suggesting he was spinning a light around himself to represent a smartphone metaphorically circling us 🙄 TLDR "Open wide here comes some content" best summarizes all these videos summarizing the philosophy of Inside.

[@obscenedougie]

This one was good, but Tuff Specialist has a pretty good one as well. Check it out.

[@MrCanadianAviator]

@@over1498 I don't think it matters if Bo did any of it on purpose, if someone watches the special and finds meaning in a scene, then that's a valid view point. Authorial intent doesn't matter. He might of done the circling LED panel because it "just felt right", but that doesn't mean you cant view it as a "smartphone metaphorically circling us". A good example of this is Socko. It doesn't matter what Bo's real political opinions are, we have to view what Socko said in context to the rest of the special and judge it based on that.

[@dennisrossonero]

"Welcome to the Internet" is the best song on "Inside". It presents the directorial, staging, lyrical and musical heights of what Bo can do. It's the best Disney-Villain song in decades.

[@GlaceonStudios]

I liked That Funny Feeling slightly better.

[@pwlpc]

For me it's "All Eyes on Me"

[@TiMonsor]

@@GlaceonStudios welcome is a selling card of the special, Funny Feeling is the soul

[@kunchenliang8772]

For me it's tied between that and "How the World Works"

[@Simba3696]

Unpaid intern and his reactions to the song is just how I start overthinking my overthinking. So that hit more closer to home for me.

[@IbokRock811]

"Does anybody want to joke when no one's laughing in the background?" is at the end of the special! I watched a live-streamed comedy event during COVID and pretty much every comedian fell flat and seemed cringey telling jokes for no audience. It's harder than it seems!! Bo nails it and then some.

[@handidrummed]

Agreed. There's a comedian I really like who started doing live streams with laugh tracks and honestly it's horrible. It's not honest. THIS was honest.

[@demiurge67321]

Yes that h2appned to Bill burr

[@IbokRock811]

@@demiurge67321 wow! One year ago i made the comment 😅 crazy to think - yeah I like bill burr - good to know!

[@bhumikapant7098]

Inside is a literal piece of art. With the metaphors surrounding it, the lyrics wanting to make you laugh but even making you wrench out of pure detest and all that done by one man's mind and in a room...Inside is a commentary like no other

[@rhidiandavies1991]

I stumbled across this on Netflix while severely stoned and ooooohhhh boiiiii, let me tell you that was a wild ride.

[@iblame_nargles]

wild ride sounds like a big understatement, holy shit lmao

[@gregfighter]

Ah mate, I’m with you there. It shook me to my core whilst I was high.

[@CarlosLiberated]

It shook me to my core while I wasn’t.

[@Dangerooman]

It shook me to my core while I was.

[@wheresmymfcoffee]

Check out his other 2 specials on Netflix so worth the watch!

[@Klay_Dubya]

Inside both made me realize how depressed I've been for years while also lighting a fire in me I didnt know I had. I've needed something creative some kind of outlet and I haven't had anything like that in years. I'm searching for it now.

[@claudiag.9307]

That's amazing!

[@davidcaubergh6349]

Same here, it shocked me in my core

[@GinkgoPete]

creativity is nice but therapy is pretty great too

[@rik4351]

You go! I am so proud of you

[@WillyG38]

Idk if I'd call the moment "liberating" when he grabs the camera in All Eyes On Me .... More like terrifying and utterly heartbreaking 🤕

[@Praecantetia]

yeah it's more like that. But it does have an air or liberation/shock to it.

[@wheresmymfcoffee]

The whole time I was wondering if he was making fun of Kanye again lol

[@andrewray4028]

Ya I found it more similar to a jump scare

[@chriss.2978]

Yeah it definitely felt more uncomfortable and violent and made me want the camera to be put back down. That was the point though I think.

[@hanavolta9785]

@@wheresmymfcoffee mock Kanye? I never got that impression. Honestly since watching make happy, I've had the sense that Bo respects Kanye, to some extent. At least to the point where Kanye is willing to be open and honest with his audience about his anxieties, fears, and more recently his struggle with Bipolar disorder.

[@alexcoyg3281]

Bo is the only comedian who makes me laugh and cry at the same time, "Get your hands up" song is one of the best songs i ever heard. Ty Bo

[@kobizarre2003]

It's called All Eyes on Me

[@alexcoyg3281]

@@kobizarre2003 Yes

[@Mrs.Magix58]

It's called "All Eyes On Me." If you like the song so much, learn the fucking name.

[@ph0en1x33]

​@@Mrs.Magix58 bro is the toxic part of the internet Bo talks about 💀

[@MrSkme]

"people online arent physical people, they're a literal projection of themselves" this is how physical people work too, you project a version of yourself that you want others to see but you also hide the things about yourself that you dont want them to see.

[@apriyagung]

Yea but the point is the same phenomenon is heightened when people interact through online mediums, we get more things that are "in our control" (i.e. fine-tuning messages, editing photos)

[@maskingtables]

Yes. But in a physical form, our projections are imperfect. We are a mix of our own selfperception and the challenges of how others see us. Being online makes it possible for you to play the perfect game of pretend. Which destroys mental health

[@wonder_platypus8337]

We're all just monkeys playing with masks.

[@SticksTheFox]

I feel his ability to get across mental health and the effects on limited human contact is something very few others have managed. When he said "I am... not... well..." that single line spoke so many things

[@SplendidFellow]

That part was so hard to watch because it hit too close to home

[@jdprettynails]

When he said that line and I saw the tear rolling down his cheek my heart broke for him. I'm not well either and I just want to hug him.

[@theperson8539]

Comparing “Welcome To The Internet” to “Welcome To KZbin” is like comparing the dystopia to the cautionary tale that failed to stop it. Pointedly enough, no one understood or at least acknowledged to any significant level the (now fairly standard) shots he took at KZbin and the community as a whole, it’s honestly insane how sickeningly consistent the man has always been. People still don’t seem to understand his special, and while I don’t claim to either, it is both chilling and fascinating how people consistently miss the most obvious of his jabs in this entire special.

[@theperson8539]

To clarify, I don’t mean that you didn’t get it, I just think it’ll be difficult to truly get what he means unless we ask him, and I have no clue where he is rn… huh.

[@crumblebee6728]

@@theperson8539 I think it was incredibly up front and plain...

[@vmp916]

“Ones inner most thoughts... have become targeted by social media platforms for entertainment and profit” * ad break *

[@diegomoss5197]

Private thoughts becoming privatized

[@21Cayque12]

Welcome to the internet

[@Ismael-kc3ry]

Isn’t that ironic

[@Ismael-kc3ry]

@@nolanimates1595 fuck, autocorrect slam dunked my sloppy typing

[@seineevee]

have a look around

[@Kai-Made]

I don't mean to sound special or like I understand or know something you all don't, but feel that "Inside" and the entire album he created was more about how he has been battling crippling anxiety and other mental health things that has been beating him down. In fact, I remember him talking about both loving but feeling so mentally and physically drained by being on stage. I think that he really set the bar high, with this creation. I both love it and am sad because I can feel the lonliness and anxiety he was able to incorporate into it. It may be my favorite album from any creator in the last 5 years...especially from this genre. I know it coincided with quaratine but feel that it goes past that.

[@squidkidsyoutube3712]

“You say the oceans rising like I give a shit, you say the whole world’s ending, honey it already did. You’re not gonna slow it, Heaven knows you tried.” That right there felt like admitting defeat. We tried to save the environment but we’re too late.

[@СоняСкупова-с9в]

Got it? Good, now get inside.

[@glokta1]

That part made me cry so hard. Partly because of sadness and partly relief that other people go through the same debilitating thoughts I do

[@Nightriser271828]

The doomer's anthem.

[@vmark26]

I still believe we (humanity) have a chance but it doesn’t depend on us (common people who dont lead big corporations)

[@lordgutterrat9634]

@vmark26 corporations like to make us feel like where the problem

[@thefunk0130]

Burnham's Welcome to the Internet character: A maniacal carnival barker inviting you into a sinister and inescapable fun house of toxicity or a carousel of madness

[@Sabor180]

*Perfect* 👍

[@sofia_with_an_f]

It’s the bad guy from the princess and the frog

[@AudreysKitchen]

The craziest thing about his villain character, imo, is that it's a villain who has WON.

[@incrediblepony]

I cannot stop watching that song/video in particular.. It's like it has the key to everything I think is wrong with the world and the hundreds of FB discussions I get in to every year. I just don't know how to use the key that was given to me to unlock the knowledge I need to succeed... It's so fucking weird and makes no literal sense...

[@isthatmatt3384]

I like to think of him like some sort of villain in a cheap costume, as he decides what people see on the Internet by locking then in a room. Idk why, I kinda like it

[@Hey_Jamie]

It makes me so sad when people don’t make the comparison between All Eyes On Me and Can’t Handle This. He basically mimics that performance by opening up about his steadily declining mental health while the crowd just blindly cheers for the silly jokes. When when he ends it with ‘thank you, I hope you’re happy’ not genuinely wishing the audience is happy, but more ‘thanks a lot, I hope you’re happy with yourselves. Look what you did to me’.

[@LightspeedGaming]

I took it more as he hopes he's made them happy, because he knows what it's like to not be.

[@yeravity]

while i agree with you partly on the last part i definitely think he's also genuinely hoping he's made us happy. there's a lot of connections from make happy to inside since both specials have an idea of "making laughter and jokes in times of despair" in make happy he even says that he's trying to give us what he could never give himself. so i think it's kinda like if it had to destroy him he at least hopes we genuinely had a good time, even if it's only for a little

[@DarthVreda]

I definitely drew a lot of parallels between All Eyes On Me and Can't Handle This on the first watch - later I finished listening to Inside in my car and had to find Can't Handle This on KZbin to keep riding whatever that feeling was that All Eyes On Me elicits. The music is like... very soaring, somehow, with the open chords and distorted echoing voice. I think All Eyes On Me is kind of a riff on Can't Handle This in how it handles the parasocial relationship between Bo and his fans. Can't Handle This was an account of his use of his fracturing emotions and mental health for comedy and a simultaneous criticism for how audiences engage with that pain, laughing at it as long as it is delivered properly. All Eyes On Me feels more like an account of our SHARED pain, the artist's and the audience's. In some ways it feel like he wants to provide a reprieve from that pain and helplessness through entertainment (based solely on a read of the lyrics) which, again, riffs on Can't Handle This being part of a special called "Happy" and wanting to make people laugh.

[@lisazdvoru1660]

I think Bo does want people to be happy. He knows the pain of what it is to not be happy. He also sees clearly all the ways in which we are set up to fail... things marketed to us and normalized as ways to become happy that are empty in the end. He does hope people can be happy, some people, somewhere out there, even though he worries no one is.

[@chuck7024]

Definitely not even close to true lol.

[@soravsgoku123]

First person I’ve seen talk about the aspect ratio, specifically in “White Woman’s Instagram.” The widening of the frame to accompany the real-ness of the caption he’s describing, then the narrowing as she uses it as an excuse to talk about herself and how good her life is is so powerful. One of my favorite parts of the special and that’s really saying something

[@iblame_nargles]

Right? INSIDE has so many "oh fuck" moments but this one hit me so hard!

[@soravsgoku123]

Actually, I’m not so sure about my interpretation of the change BACK to square aspect ratio. Listening to the song again in full it might be that the widening is showing there is more to people than what they show on Instagram and as others have said, she uses Instagram as a way to cope and feel happy. My interpretation might be too sinister, assuming she’s self-centered and using Instagram as a means to project the best image of herself. I’m not sure.

[@nemoy7267]

@@soravsgoku123 Yep, I did not get the sinister take at all. One of the key things I noticed about Bo in this special are his moments of radical empathy (after critiquing unhelpful ways that the left interacts with politically disengaged white folks through Socko, the directorial view brutally and bluntly comes down on Socko's side by showing him being brutalized and demeaned. His poking fun in "Facetime with my Mom" ends with incredible guilt over getting frustrated with his mom.) It may have been in my head, but I felt like Bo's delivery after the face-turn in White Woman Instagram was joyous and sincere. Instead of cynically pooh-poohing the cliches, celebrating them as a genuine expression of a real person, alongside a gentle, good natured bit of prodding. It felt like there was real empathy in the joke. It was a surprising, shocking rebuttal of one of the most entrenched tropes on the net: ridiculing a random person in order to feel superior.

[@artyb27]

@@soravsgoku123 yeah I don't buy the sinister take. I'm fairly sure the aspect ratio only starts changing back when it does so that it's square again in time for the bridge to end.

[@Miliregretz]

I don't think your enterpretation is sinister. When you're feeling anxious you are inherently self centered: you are focused on what is happening to you and inside you. Instagram is toxic exactly because it allows us to react to the fortune of others with a feeling of inadequacy and insecurity. We then show of our own fortune in an attempt to get likes and confirm that we are indeed good enough too. The cycle then continues. The basic white girl trope has been branded shallow, dumb and unworthy of attention due to a lack of uniqueness for decades now, and it is getting old. Bo Burnham makes that joke as well, through showing us just how similar these instagram accounts are, but with radical empathy, as nemoy said. The white woman is also trapped inside; inside her own image, unable to express herself in anyway that hasn't already been approved within her circle. She has a moment of vulnerability then has to return to a shallow representation of her life in order to keep up her appearance and continue feeling "good enough". And that aboslutely makes her self centered, but not a bad person. I think when anyone feels anxious, they are centering the universe around themselves. That's what made Inside so powerful for me - it shows what happens when you put an already anxious and selfcentered person in a room with nothing to focus on except for themselves.

[@ThatGuy-nc8nf]

When I found out Bo released a special, I got a bit of butterflies in my stomach and rushed to Netflix, not knowing the rush of absolute accuracy in portraying quarantine, being inside, the digital world and anxiety. Some of the subjects he portrays is really is an eye opener for me, it being in song form is a great bonus. The special itself captures the absolute monotony and loneliness of quarantine and how people uses other mediums to experience human contact, and this special and his portrayal of anxiety attacks hits close to home when I experienced my first one, no one knew if was myself in that certain moment, and it is definitely a sensory overload, from the feeling of your heart beating from your chest, that damned tunnel vision, fast breaths, the feeling of weakness and that cherry ontop being an urge to puke. I hope for the best for Bo's future endeavors.

[@jaspirita]

The entire show is how I feel at all times while awake. Constant anxiety, constant existential crisis, constant living on the internet, constant loneliness, constant self-awareness, constant mental breakdown. It's been a difficult decade. It's nice to have something like "Inside" exist because now I don't feel so alone. Also, the visuals and musicality are pure genius.

[@teddypattinson5772]

I just hope he’s doing okay. His special captured everything I was feeling during the pandemic and I’m not okay. But I do feel less alone :)

[@jordanledoux197]

I'm not happy that you're not doing alright, but I am happy that you can say it. Not being able to say it honestly is how I've ended up spiraling in the past.

[@notrhythm]

watching him walk around in his room is giving me anxiety and now i want to run as far away from my phone and my house as possible, it's fkin scary.

[@davish41]

I loved how Bo portrayed the special as both therapy for himself and the viewer. In the lead-up to "All Eyes on Me" he says "I'm not well" from behind the camera - from the POV of the audience. That song wasn't just what an unwell viewer might need to hear, it was for him as well.

[@cegalo12]

So far, Bo Burnham’s Inside is my favorite "movie" released this year

[@ShaeGardam]

Why ""? It's a movie.

[@brevin1234-e3r]

@@ShaeGardam it’s a special, not necessarily a movie

[@ShaeGardam]

@@brevin1234-e3r It has a narrative arc, character, lighting, meticulously designed shots, a script, extremely filmic and specific editing choices. Most comedy specials are a comedian on a stage, and even if Bo's tended to have a little more design, they were still stage shows. I don't know how this isn't enough of an elevation beyond that to qualify as a film.

[@ShaeGardam]

@@brevin1234-e3r I'll put it to you like this; if it were released and marketed specifically as "Bo Burnhams newest film", rather than his newest comedy special, do you think you'd question its authenticity?

[@maplefoxxo]

Same

[@AmazingtristanMagic]

I feel like we've failed to hit on one of the heaviest types of anxiety this special comments on, and one that everything else speaks to: eschatological anxiety. That's the one that keeps us doomscrolling, and indeed gives it that name. It feels like the end of the world, and I've never seen that quiet anxiety about how unsustainable this all is better portrayed.

[@EwokPanda]

Great breakdown. The only point missed was "Get your fucking hands up" being an unexpected surrender to anxiety, where anxiety is like an arresting officer breaking in, and "Get on out of your seat, all eyes on me" being similar to their commands. From there he masterfully goes back forth between depression and anxiety talking to him.

[@leandermol]

I'm sorry, but whoever thought the spinning around in All Eyes On Me was liberating, I firmly disagree ^^ It felt unhinged

[@samd8872]

It reminded me of one time when I was watching a video from simply nailogical and she was holding a mirror and said "hey look, its you" and when the reflection of the mirror was her camera I felt so disturbed , like as if someone broke some type of 4th wall, since watching that type of youtubers is like being on a room hearing your friends talk to each other, I then felt kind of sad because all those hours of content were just her talking to a camera alone in a room. It's like remembering that our smartphones are just an object that shines... sorry for my bad english and this long comment xdxdxd

[@viridian5maureen853]

It feels like Bo breaking the fourth wall to manhandle and physically control the viewer, far from liberating.

[@leandermol]

@@viridian5maureen853 Exactly, that was what I meant. Also the laughing, it's like he realizes the power he has over the viewer, and that he 'enjoys' that part, but is also ashamed of that feeling

[@Djminigunz]

I felt it was unhinged in a liberating way. Trapped for so long and finally able to go monkey mode.

[@viridian5maureen853]

@@Djminigunz The thing is, I'm somebody who already resents it when a performer demands I put my hands in the air/sing along/go "Woooooo!" Like, let me have my own reaction in my own space, let it be spontaneous and heartfelt. So, I'm already making allowances, and grabbing "me" and violently swinging me around is a total nope. It's boundaries.

[@BrunoDiaz93]

Is there a way to get an Oscar nomination for cinematography for a Netflix comedy special?

[@DrLipkin]

Oscar? No. But I could definitely see Inside getting Emmy nominations.

[@luciano53688]

I think there is a comedy award at the Grammys too, so he might get a nomination for the album release or something.

[@bayonetababe9697]

He just got nominated for 6 Emmys. 1. Best Song for “Comedy” 2. Best Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) 3. Best Writing for a Variety Special 4. Best Directing for a Variety Special 5. Best Picture Editing for a Variety Special 6. Best Music Direction I really think he deserves them all. I know that probably won’t happen but I really would love for him to at least win Director and “Inside” best Variety Special.

[@salutic.7544]

@@bayonetababe9697 #5 should just be given to him rn, I watched the special and remember being blown away from the visuals and insta toy fell in love with them and I don’t think many other works can come close to that

[@bolt8337]

Best I can do is a Grammy.

[@lukefortuny8804]

Bo Burnham is the most amazing and talented normal guy I've ever encountered.

[@kathleenweldon3253]

Sorry to all the Oscar chasing quarantine movies. You'll never be as good as Inside.

[@bellarue6738]

I feel like inside was the peak of his career. Everything comes full circle. Every narrative he ever told in prior shoes peaks. From humor to no audience, to the battling conflict of mental health, and the long process of how long this took for him to portray. He’s not just a musical artist anymore. Bo Burnham is an artist in all forms of the word

[@si12007]

The irony of lots of ‘content creators’ making videos about inside, ‘reacting’ to his songs (that’s probably the most hilarious) and pseudo intellectually analysing it, is not lost on me.

[@ccRask]

dude yes. As I've seen those pop up in my recommended videos (thanks algorithm!) I just wanted to shake them to be like 'DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU??'

[@si12007]

@@ccRask 😂😂 exactly!

[@giulia-fls-692]

In their defense, I don't think Bo is actually telling anyone to not make 'shallow' content (shallow might not be the right word, but the content i think you guys are discussing). I definitely see and agree with his criticisms of the practices as a whole. However, I think he better than anyone understands the demand these people feel to make things. As shitty as the content may be it is still less a fault of the creator and more a fault of the system they are imbedded in. Still ironic. But it's possible they see the point, and still want to just make a video. Whatever the video may be. Or perhaps it is because as content creators who have an audience, they, better than many of us, understand the specific stressors he is referencing. Idk, your comment just got me thinking 🤔

[@Siemah]

"That funny feeling" is never meant as funny. It mostly refers to the uneasy sensation of things being off-kilter in the world we live in these days.

[@nyct0phile]

i think "that funny feeling" is actually the heavy, diistorted feeling of dissociation/depersonalization. in other words, its a huge list of everything in the world that is so insane/out of pocket it doesn't feel real, and/or, so insane/out of pocket it doesnt make US feel real. the kind of shit going on in the world like "7 more to go" (7 years of global warming and we're all gonna die, we arent going to make it and no one cares to fix it). or the twisted irony of "a gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall," showing just how out of place and disgusting both of those things are. neither belongs there, yet it's so normalized. thats almost exactly what dissociation feels like: you dont belong anywhere, nothing really belongs anywhere, and no one seems to notice but you.

[@jablewit]

I think it's more literally about the ending of the world. We're all continuing with our lives as if nothing is wrong but it's all about to end. The funny feeling he's talking about is the cognitive dissonance that brings.

[@syntheticant8172]

@@jablewit Okay bud. The world isn't ending, get over yourself. Even if we screw up now climate change won't be world ending. Politics have always existed, and we aren't near a singularity. But sure, if you wanna be a little emo kid then you can believe misinformation too!

[@jablewit]

@@syntheticant8172 "Driven by the unshakable faith, the Earth is ours." - Dr Brand, Interstellar.

[@KaneK1234]

@@jablewit The world is nowhere near ending. However keep thinking that. Please.

[@amy_grace]

The cut from Elsie to Bo at 6:09 was so perfect I gasped a little

[@RafaelLeviDeLuca]

I wouldn't even call it a comedy special, cause I cried more then laugh about it.

[@tailbonetailbone9380]

Gotta highlight how he constantly puts himself in the center through the use of darkness associated with focused light sources, as well as lightsources right behind him. It plays into one of the themes of the special (his relation to the attention of others: wanting it, dreading it, being in it, etc.) even when it's not the topic of the song; it plays up the loneliness of being alone filming a special in a room; it extends the room through shadows, making it look vast and isolating; and it hooks the viewer. Incredible!

[@mildchaos6037]

Bo said he couldn’t grow a beard in Isnt it Ironic, he lied to us all

[@palomasegovia6621]

i guess you could say… isn’t that ironic c:

[@TheJacklikesvideos]

Because he was secretly born with a beard and had been shaving it?

[@Zagardal]

That was a decade ago. I also couldn't grow a consistent beard in my early 20s. By the time I was 30 I was rocking the hobo look.

[@mooontimez8085]

isnt it ironic

[@UhDuhMass]

I can hear all the background footage in my head, the special was fantastic.

[@michelleshefstad4699]

I keep getting those songs and clips of him running in my head. So odd. It really stuck with me. I wonder if I'm the only one. I even wake up with that going in my head in the morning.

[@epictetus9221]

@@michelleshefstad4699 Exactly the same thing happened to me. No artwork has had such an effect on me in a very long while.

[@sinasrz4046]

Your "got it? Good now get inside" gave me chills

[@gabrielag.2320]

This special is a MASTERPIECE. This is truly genius! For someone to do it ALL alone!?!? The lyrics, music, set up of the space, lighting, camera work, editing, wardrobe/costume and so much more. Each piece has a completely different mood. It's amazing how he found so many different angles and different use of the same small space. The progression of the mood/energy (considering we've all gone through the lockdown/pandemic) is so tangible. I could talk for hours about this show. I loved it but also ended up being super worried about him. You can see all of his anxiety in so many of the songs and the talking parts (which it was nice to have those interview-like breaks where we get more of himself, not just a character. They way he created an upbeat song for feeling like shit. Such a contrast. Or "welcome to the internet" where it gets increasingly overwhelming. It's just... Just GENIUS!!!

[@maya-bx3vq]

this entire special looks so deep into everyone and its unbelievably well made

[@GGun1t]

“Inside” is Bo’s best creation by a country mile. A truly awesome experience. Made me look at quite a few things differently “inside” myself.

[@CarsoN648]

This analysis pointed out things I never thought of before, but seem so obvious now after you’ve mentioned them. I gotta be honest, on a second watch, I’d probably enjoy it more just because of this video. Every other analysis seemed to take a very surface level look at Inside, not digging deeper into the filmmaking behind it, which seems to have caused them to miss very crucial things mentioned here.

[@iblame_nargles]

I love seeing comments like these. Also, highly recommend a couple rewatches.

[@Cake3k]

Definitely do a rewatch or two. Or three. While playing the Inside album on Spotify when you're not doing a rewatch. On repeat. For weeks. I can't stop. Help. No, but really. Optimally, even though it's too late now, I'd actually recommend a rewatch before watching any analysis, and another after. There's so much imagery, you'll probably still notice some new things after watching it like three times. As for me, I'll switch my Spotify to something else eventually, but after all this time I still can't help to be amazed. Not only by the general brilliance of the lyrics, but also how unironically good the music itself is.

[@Zexx4]

I know the phrase "voice of a generation" gets thrown around WAY too much and usually means nothing....But Bo really is a voice for the millennials

[@tyblazitar]

As an anxious and terminally online straight white guy born in 1990, i really feel like he's the voice of my generation. I love how he's constantly evolving too, Eighth Grade was honestly way better than expected as a debut feature from a young comedian.

[@marietailor3100]

Yup! Definitely not Lena Dunham. I never felt represented at all by her work. In fairness, it was mostly the olds calling her that 😛

[@magiv4205]

I'm part of the oldest zoomers or youngest millenials, depending on which statistic you look at, and he really accurately captures both the millenials' AND the zoomers' experiences. Even though he's older than zoomers and at a different stage in life, he is incredibly in touch with their joys and pains, in a way that you barely ever see in the entertainment industry. He doesn't talk down to young people, he talks at eye level. He respects us. He's not only the voice of the millenial generation, he also welcomes us youngsters with open arms. Huge respect to this man.

[@magiv4205]

@@hystericalJ Fair enough. I know several zoomers younger than me who may have known the internet existed when they were kids but barely interacted with it until they were young teenagers. Depends alot on how and where you were raised tbh. My parents are rich but somewhat technophobic, so my younger sisters and I grew up with a healthy distance to that stuff, same for many our friends in a similar age bracket. To be honest, a true GenZ experience is probably pretty hard to generalize because the oldest are 24, the youngest 6 years old. I am as old as google. I remember 9/11 vividly. My childhood was cassette tapes and VHS, the incessant radio, my walkman. I remember the switch from flip to smartphone well, and I remember how after just a few short years, it suddenly seemed impossible to think those blasted things out of your life. A zoomer that's just a few years younger than me will have already grown up in a radically different technological landscape. Their experience will already be markedly different thanks to the sheer pace of this development. I still got addicted just as hard nonetheless, but at least I got a few non-poluted years out of it, if you will. Gen Alpha (starting 2012) is truly screwed though.

[@FoggyMcFogFace]

@@magiv4205 Reading that, I feel like you're slightly more on the millennial side of the "split". I think, instead of the old idea of basically being older than a toddler on the 1st of January, 2000, the must useful definition for me is consciously remembering 9/11 and how society, around almost the entire world, changed almost in an instant when you look back. The security theater, the "safe" 90s followed by the constant talks of war, a new major one starting seemingly every year and almost all of them involving the US's quest for revenge on the Middle East as a whole. The rise of the far-right we've seen really had it's roots in those years of rapid cultural change, and it coincided with technology rapidly developing. Slightly younger, and smartphones were there before you were even a teen, war was normal from the day of your first encounter with news or the wider world in general, visible climate change was so normal you wouldn't remember a time when the ridiculous temperatures we've seen were extremely rare. All those rapid changes aren't seen as changes then, but the norm. And that, to me, is the main difference in experience between millennials and Gen Z. Our experiences right now are similar. As an average millennial slightly older than Bo, I feel way more connected to Gen Z than Gen X through our online lives despite them being just as far away from me in age. But consciously remembering a time before, when everything was vastly different, that is what defines a generation I think. The pandemic might be a bit late to be used as a division between generations, but we might redefine it in hindsight since it could have a huge long-term impact. It could become a similar soft cut-off point. On the other hand, the world-wide far-right political movements that have been as normal to gen alpha in their early years as war in the Middle East was to Gen Z might be a more defining indication of our direction in the long run. I hope it isn't, because that could mean some dark times ahead. We can only really know for sure in at least a decade or so. Of course generations never have a hard limit. Any limit you set is gonna have edge cases. But your description feels more late millennial than early Gen Z to me.

[@tomarbranco7860]

I didn’t finish the video because I couldn’t resist the urge to watch “Inside” again

[@Guayabaman305]

To me, Inside is one of the greatest and most important works of art made in my generation. Absolute masterpiece.

[@ChestersonJack]

I spent a lot of my early childhood in my room, by myself. I would attempt to play with dolls by myself, but my arms would get tired. So I’d just do the voices, but after a bit I’d get tired of that too and then I’d be sitting on my floor, staring at the wall, constructing elaborate stories in my mind, using my dolls as a visual reference to picture the characters but otherwise being completely internal. I did read, sometimes, and when I did it was books far beyond my level and I’d sit in my bed all day reading, not even remembering to get up to eat. I was a very sickly kid, always nauseous and always hungry (bc I didn’t eat). When I was in school, it got to the point where the first thing I’d do after the bus ride to school was head to the nurse because I felt like I was going to throw up every morning. I was so easily overwhelmed and nauseated, I locked myself in my room. I didn’t know I was autistic. I just knew I couldn’t handle the world. I desperately wanted friends but I didn’t know how to do that, and I wasn’t willing to put myself into any physical discomfort like playing tag or swinging from the monkey bars in order to socialize. Every summer, I would go to a day-camp thing that was absolute hell, sensory wise and in terms of the people there. When my sister was old enough to look after me, those summers turned into weeks without leaving the house because there was no one to play with and stay inside watching Tom and Jerry for hours instead, my parents at work. I didn’t think I was afraid of the world, I thought I was better than it, because it was the only reality my tiny mind could accept without falling into despair. Then, when I was around 10, I got an iPod Touch. I mostly played mobile games like Doodle Jump and Pocket Frogs, but seeing sceeenshots on photo sites of tumblr posts. I got my first inkling of the world beyond me. Then, watching Gorillaz music videos, I got an offer that I could have a KZbin account and comment if I connect it with my gmail for a Google+ account. This is that same account. After that, after G+, I became a symbiotic life form with the Internet, because it felt like the thing I was always made for. I was sitting and staring and idly consuming stories long before there were stories in front of my eyes to consume. I’ve since gotten freedoms, I was able to drive, I had friends, I had built up my resilience. I actually owe a lot of my personal growth to learning things online that I never would’ve had the experience to learn otherwise. But quarantine put me back in that perpetual summer malaise, especially considering I graduated not long after it started. With nowhere to go and nothing to do… Well, well, look who’s inside again?

[@camwoods6969]

Wow, we had the same childhood, uh? I am still young, didn't even have the opportunity to get better before all of this happening, lucky me!

[@chloedaynee]

glad i’m not alone in this lol and very well said

[@ChestersonJack]

@@camwoods6969 Did you draw your profile picture yourself?

[@ChestersonJack]

@Sapphire @chloe People always like to say “you’re not alone” but it’s hard to really believe until you hear your own story from the words of someone you’ve never met.

[@camwoods6969]

@@ChestersonJack Yes

[@matrixiekitty2127]

The man is BEYOND smart and I don’t feel Ive ever seen a more accurate depiction of anxiety and feeling trapped in the internet, not to mention just how much of a deep understanding of the internet I have ever seen in a movie!

[@cheqers_]

That Funny Feeling hits me like a tonne of bricks. The fact that it's framed and presented as this folksy acoustic campfire song, where the singer would traditionally reminisce on explicitly analog, natural, familial "it's the little things" type experiences and memories, but he lists these anxious, problematic & corrupt issues with us and the world at large. It reverberates that latent debilitating frustration of wanting to scream into the void without losing the sight that we don't (a lot of people do tha screaming silently on social media) because we're so insignificant, what's the point. We want our lives to better, we don't believe anyone at the top is doing or saying anything right, we've no real faith we'd be equipped to be much better (echoed when he says 'why can't anyone just shut the fuck up & not have everyone feel the need to broadcast everything all of the time'), and even then when we do commit to saying something we're so afraid of potential criticism we either only post about what we don't entirely care for, or we do and don't have any faith in how it's received (as evident in Don't Wanna Know). We live in this detached state of wanting to heard and be left alone. We can't enjoy the immediate outside, because we feel an outside where things actually happen exists beyond us and it's only visible and accessible from the inside from media. We spend so much time in that inside world there's plenty of us that draw an identity from our digital engagement and don't feel real otherwise, so a physical campfire doesn't hold the value or primacy it should inherently have. We aren't people online, we don't feel like we're interacting online with real physical people, yet without it we don't feel like a person in the tangible world. The juxtaposition of a tonally comforting song and how unbelievably lonely and fucked we are just eats at me. Bo Burnham's currency and critique is so important. It probably eats at him that despite all his critique, it's still a Netflix special supporting a monopolising conglomerate, gradually commodifying and commercialising any and all dissent, as any hypercapitalist system eventually does. I'm glad he's here, and I'm glad he does what he does. I'd like to think there's something worth holding onto there.

[@billder7304]

Ah, perfectly putting into words the funny feelings I got from hearing the song and why it has stuck with me too. Thank you.

[@blakehoward2804]

This video was exactly what I was looking for. ...while stuck inside KZbin, avoiding my real life responsibilities

[@kevinclark5673]

This is surely Bo's magnum opus. Just the absolute perfect special and attitude that encapsulated a national time-period. I hope future artists and current ones are studying his work closely because there is a lot to take away. Plus its really satisfying to watch.

[@coffeedemon6909]

honestly his lyricism is beautiful and i love the use of lighting and color he used

[@BD-yl5mh]

That modular light in “turning 30” genuinely blew my mind. I think by that point in the show I felt like I’d seen all his tricks. Like I get it, you’ve got a projector and some floor lights. Don’t get me wrong, I’m immensely entertained and thoroughly impressed but at the end of the day Bo, you’re stuck in one room and you can only do so much… And then BAM. And I was just like, never mind, this dudes a genius

[@eralps]

Bo Burnham's story and how he picked up this special at the worst time possible when wanting to go out to the public again but being forced to stay inside is heartbreaking and a rollercoaster on its own, he turns 30 while filming the special its incredible.

[@mrB1001]

I love how the narrator in this is talking like Bo was approaching this like a 3rd year film grad student. This was just his raw emotions and unfiltered genius dumped on film.

[@coledubois5063]

This special just hit hard. Its the most interesting piece of content Ive seen in at least a year. It just felt so relatable and pertinent.

[@whiskersmedia]

i’d been thinking about the welcome to youtube/the internet comparison. he clearly wanted that to be made, and i loved your thoughts on it!

[@iblame_nargles]

I feel like INSIDE has so many references to his previous work. I kinda assume it's unintentional but still, really adds to theme of the special.

[@samd8872]

@@iblame_nargles I even saw the white sock as a throwback to his sock joke on the green room episode

[@TheKillahKyla]

@@iblame_nargles Bo is a genius, I don't think much is unintentional.

[@KrazyKaiser]

Really great video, you pointed out a lot of things I didn't notice. I feel it was a little strange that you didn't specifically mention the pandemic at all even though they is a big part of the "being stuck inside" that is being referred to in the the special.

[@iblame_nargles]

I think because that theme is overtly addressed in the special. It was the set up, everything in this video dives more into the subtext

[@NowYouSeeIt]

Thank you! I didn't mention that because I'm kind of sick of "analysis" about "these unprecedented times." I think Burnham felt the same way, because his special also never mentions the pandemic directly. His special is clearly informed by the pandemic, but the anxieties in it expand beyond the anxieties of the pandemic, if that makes sense?

[@unblorbosyourshows9635]

@@NowYouSeeIt SOMEONE GETS IT THANK YOU

[@KrazyKaiser]

@@NowYouSeeIt yeah that makes a lot of sense to me, but personally I'm the kind of person who thinks "but what about the person watching this video 10 years down the line, will the remember the context of the pandemic?" But I don't think that's really ever going to be an issue lol

[@samd8872]

@@KrazyKaiser idk this isn't the first pandemic the humanity has suffered, and sometimes when reading a book or watching a painting we dont even remember they were facing a pandemic

[@Alexketchem]

Thank you for paying credence to this that rises to the height of the achievement. Inside isn't simply comedy- it's performance art at the highest levels.

[@aperson3207]

“How Bo Burnham Did The Impossible” grow a beard?

[@misty6950]

yes

[@CHRISROY999]

I really enjoy how deep you went into this. To add on, I think as he gets less and less clothes as the movie goes on, that he is showing us what it is truly like to be "naked" not just physically, but emotionally. He is putting everything out there. Also at the end when he steps outside of the room, he is showing us all of his thoughts are now out and his anxiety is still messing with him and he can never go back to being a non-celeb ever again.

[@TokyoBlue587]

This special was one of the most brilliant things I’ve seen. It perfectly captured the feelings of depression and anxiety, and isolation during the pandemic, but had very funny humor, social commentary, and every song was great. I watched it 3 times. It’s genius.

[@Bernd05]

He's not cynical about the internet. He describes the current state of the internet.

[@LightspeedGaming]

I'd say he's pretty cynical about it too.. A lot of us are. We love it and can't go without it, but at the same time it ruins our lives.

[@epictetus9221]

Of course he's cynical about it. He'd be crazy not to be.

[@zport1853]

the teacher when you call the book "just a book":

[@sorakara_tokido]

As brief as it is, this is still the best INSIDE analysis, even 3 years later. I said this, as someone who study and works with visual on a daily basis, as a huge fan of Bo who watched all of his specials and as someone who watched "more than the numbers of fingers" analysis of INSIDE. I'm no critic, and will never be one, but as a viewer, this is the best compliment I could possibly give to a video.

[@Pookie2112]

As someone who is scared to leave their house the entire thing was a big mood

[@SafetySkull]

7:20 "... imagining a world where digital space is superior to the real world" Haha yes. Imaginary. Lucky our world isn't like that haha. Imagine that haha.

[@lifeinvader1016]

Impossible unless all our entertainment is to be made by A.I. but even then its just math. Anywhere there's math there's theres the world, there's humanity, there's reality. We're absurdly obsessed with counting. What time is it?

[@bmd5713]

Great quick deep dive of the many themes Bo was touching on. Bo really revealed himself to us with this special and I for one am so thankful for his honesty and authenticity.

[@majesticwizardcat]

It feels great living in the same world with Bo Burnham

[@kendra4140]

I keep waiting for Inside to get the immediate acclaim and critical recognition it deserves, and every day since it's been out I remain surprised that it still seems relatively underground. Thanks for exploring this special - he's such a good actor and Inside is so beautifully created that I think even a lot of it's fans see it almost as a documentary rather than a very intentional, deliberate, and effortful film.

[@tnijoo5109]

Awesome analysis! Thoroughly enjoyed!!

[@tarpguy_]

I had a hard time putting my feelings into words both while watching Inside, and afterwards. I get that claustrophobic, uneasy feeling.. and felt completely overwhelmed when he grabbed the camera to spin it around. It made me more aware of some of the things I feel, and made me realise what some of them are.

[@unblorbosyourshows9635]

Inside is my favorite youtube video of all time. PS: My favorite thing about it is how it has like 5 different interpretations and they all make complete sense through out the entire thing

[@iblame_nargles]

this comment fully encapsulates how I feel about INSIDE without rambling on for 3 days straight

[@DustinIsDriving]

Great video man!!

[@hihihello1943]

are you driving

[@jessiegashler427]

"There it is, that funny feeling....." legitimately made me cry.

[@wietog]

Just noticed his gold cross earring. And "Are you naked?" "Yes, just wearing a 🎩"

[@t.h.mcelroy6597]

8:25, I'm so glad you mentioned this! He nails the balance of poking fun at the melodramatic/faux-idealistic lives often portrayed via social media, while also capturing the genuine heart behind many of those who take part in it. It's genius 💛

[@baphnie]

Please put Bo on suicide watch. He's a genius.

[@Nkanyiso_K]

Bo's back guess it's gonna be a good decade. That was pretty masterfully done, I hope to make something that makes people as entertained as Bo one day

[@janafajmonova3710]

It feels so weird to me speaking about it as "entertainment", maybe it's my understanding of the word that's wrong.

[@SnoFitzroy]

"you know that netflix special about quarantine? Yeah that's like The Shining."

[@anxietyandie]

When he grabs the camera in All Eyes On Me, it doesn't feel liberating. The accompanying laughter is slightly unhinged and halfway between a sob and a laugh. He's breaking the barrier between him and the audience, showcasing instability and the maddening feeling of knowing no one is there with you when you're "inside". Be it physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. And it's a crippling process to realise that in this new space, where our interactions are limited to digital spaces, we're ultimately alone. I love what Bo Burnham has done with this special. It's a cinematic masterpiece and I'll probably rewatch it for years to come.

[@Kreacher3]

Great analysis! I love how you brought in themes from over the course of his career. It's also great to see you focus on the zoom and the liberation of the POV in Get Your Fuckin' Hands Up. I feel like that's so crucial to the whole special and you're the first person I've seen pick on that. One thing I noticed though is that you might have gotten one line from Welcome to the Internet. I'm fairly sure it's "your time is now" not "the time is now", which would then make it representative of the way the snake oil salesman/Internet is buttering up their mark.

[@NowYouSeeIt]

Ah yes you are right! Thanks for the heads up

[@westhorizoncrew]

This added even further levels to appreciating just how good this special was.

[@natalie3585]

Bo Burnham doesn’t give himself enough credit, I think. This is something nothing like we have a lever seen before as a society. He somehow managed to capture loneliness and the real issue with severe mental health while making it interesting, entertaining and kind of funny at some points. Songs like “that funny feeling” and “all eyes on me” speak loads without saying much at all.

[@edacenarc9841]

This video is like when your ELA teacher asked you what the story meant

[@Foxfang27]

Such a great commentary summarizing “INSIDE,” I will forever send this to those who don’t understand this wonderful piece of art 😭