The Netflix comedy special Faces Loneliness is unlike anything else you've seen

The author Robert Scucci
| Published 1 second ago

I first encountered Bo Burnham's comedy when I stumbled upon his 2013 Netflix stand-up special, what.and after the first viewing I had mixed feelings about it. I distinctly remember turning to my wife and saying, “This kid's got a lot of talent and he's funny, but he's not going to come up with anything really deep until life beats him up a bit.” I was pleasantly surprised when the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced a world-weary and isolated Bo Burnham to produce what I believe to be his best work at the time of this writing: 2021. Bo Burnham: Inside.

While I had always been drawn to Burnham's comedy (even his early YouTube content) with the guarded enthusiasm one might expect from a young artist struggling to cope with his rapid rise to fame, I followed his career from a safe distance, knowing he was destined for greatness. I felt that Bo Burnham was a raw nerve waiting for the right incentives (or lack thereof) to push him into darker territory. Inside claustrophobically exploring and it turns out I was right.

I also felt a significant amount of guilt as I was glad that my prophecy came true because it meant that a real person had to wrestle his personal demons to the ground in order to painstakingly craft his magnum opus.

Internal setup

Bo Burnham has always had a complicated relationship with the Internet, his audience, his parasocial relationships, his creative process, and most importantly, himself. Bo Burnham: Inside fearlessly tackles all of these insecurities while making viewers feel the same level of discomfort that eventually led him to quit the sitcom altogether in 2016 after his film was released. Make happy special.

Collect exactly where Make happy left Bo Burnham: Inside brings us back to the guest house where he took refuge at the end of his penultimate special, but this time he's ready to start performing again. The only problem is, there's nowhere to perform because he's trapped, as the name suggests, inside.

Low brow but high brow concept

Set entirely in a guest house full of cameras, laptops, light fixtures, and unimaginable amounts of existential dread, Bo Burnham: Inside not traditional comedy specialbut rather a careless exploration of the creative process, perfectionism, the dark side of fame, self-inflicted (and government-mandated) isolation, and sarcastic synth-pop tracks about Jeff Bezos that make you want to clap between sobs.

Right under the frighteningly catchy tunes Bo Burnham: Insidethe crazy inner workings are revealed through Burnham's colorful songs about FaceTiming with his mom, sexting with his girlfriend as our communication devices replace physical relationships, huge media conglomerates profiting from our internet addiction, and the notion that as a society we are more more connected than ever, but also the most isolated we've ever been.

Coming full circle

Between each plot, song and existential exploration InsideBo Burnham pulls back the curtain, showing us his behind-the-scenes process. After figuring out what you think is a perfect performance, there are a series of jarring transitions that lead to Burnham sitting alone at the computer and scrutinizing his work before saying “one more” and preparing to reshoot the whole thing from the beginning . . As the weeks turn into months, Burnham's hair and beard grow to unmanageable lengths, which he prevents by telling the audience that he booked a haircut that was canceled.

Any Bo Burnham fan will tell you they're familiar with the backstory that led to the movie Insidebut that doesn't stop the then 30-year-old comedian from breaking into his most acclaimed track, 'All Eyes On Me'.

Pushing his voice down several octaves to fully capture his melancholy as he sings over a relentless synth, Burnham reveals to laughter and applause that he stopped performing because he suffered severe panic attacks on stage during his last tour. Revealing that he's been working on his mental health during his five-year absence, he looks into the camera and announces that just as he was about to have fun again, “the funniest thing happened…”

It's all a bit

To fully enjoy Bo Burnham: Inside, you have to admit that the whole special is scripted and was carefully planned down to the smallest detail. While I have no doubt that Burnham spent more time alone than he probably should have to create this special, which must have been born in the dark recesses of his imagination, he still plays a fictional, hyperbolic version of his onstage persona.

If you want an intimate look at the creative process in the hands of a detached perfectionist, Bo Burnham: Inside should be the next comedy special you queue up on Netflix. And if you don't believe me when I say it's all an act, Inside Releasesalso streaming Netflix is ​​the perfect companion piece to tell you that “everything is going to be okay”.