MON, JUN 17
amani
movie
Watched
Inside Out 2
2024
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Watched?
Here's an elaborative review of what was easily my favourite film — Inside Out (2). Please bear with this slightly long writeup as it's one of the most relatable pieces of work for me. Spoilers ahead. ⚠️
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🧨 TLDR; go watch it. I can't recommend it more!!
I know animated films have a way of making you bawl, but this one struck a particularly deep chord. For those unfamiliar with the Inside Out series, it delves into the inner workings of a human's mind as they navigate life.
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In the first film, Riley is a child, and in the sequel, she's a teenager. They’ve introduced specific characters called Joy, Disgust, Sadness, Anger, and Fear in the first movie, and added Envy, Boredom, Embarrassment, and Anxiety in the next.
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The first Inside Out impressed me with its playful yet insightful depiction of the mind. The sequel takes this concept even further. Kudos to the artists—I now genuinely believe that's how my emotions look and sound. 🙈
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As Riley enters puberty, new emotions emerge to reflect her evolving experiences. She faces the loss of her best friends, the challenge of fitting in at a new school, proving to herself and her coach that she's indeed 'good enough', dealing with acne, and managing all this with Anxiety at the helm. 🎮
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Now that Anxiety is in charge, Joy and the rest of the old clan is sent down to the back of the mind, where they encounter a literal stream of consciousness, core memories, and suppressed emotions. The movie is largely around how the old emotions find their way back to Riley's control room, only for all of them to learn how to coexist together. 🤝
Some of my favorite scenes include:
✨ Nostalgia's cameo as an emotion.
✨ Joy's breakdown, where she admits to feeling delusional but insists it's necessary to keep going.
✨ The visual depiction of a panic attack.
While there are plenty of takeaways from both films around one's sense of self, the one that I carry with me most often is — how every emotion matters, even the negative ones. :)
Joy initially tries to anchor Riley's emotions, aiming to minimise negative experiences. However, as the story unfolds, she learns to embrace Anxiety, Sadness, and other emotions, recognising their importance in achieving a balanced state of mind.
💟 Anxiety and fear show you how you can be prepared if the worst-case scenarios were to ever happen (touches wood).
💟 Anger makes you learn more about your triggers.
💟 Sadness allows you to process your feelings rather than suppress them.
💟 Envy shows you your true driving factors.
As Aristotle says, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. I think it’s a good reminder to realise that you’re whole as a person, and judging or belittling your emotions, even if they make you feel shitty in the moment, is doing yourself a disservice. And this thought is portrayed beautifully in the film.
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The best thing about the Inside Out series is that there's ample nerdgasm for adults, and fantasy for the kids. I'm assuming that there are very few films that do this effortlessly.
If you've read till here, a big fat thank you for bearing with my word vomit. Ily, now go watch it <3
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Bonus Meme, I laughed too much at this 🤣
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him
We’ve another meme from our friends at Sparklin ✨
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Inside Out was fabulous.
Can’t recall the number of folks I would’ve recommended it to.
But Inside Out 2 is just brilliant!
This level of creativity is worth admiring everyday. There’s so much to learn from this movie.
It should be a necessary watch for all future filmmakers and storytellers 🙌