In Camera

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Luanne A Ever since Kaos, I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with Nabhaan Rizwan. His performance as Dionysus — a delightful blend of irony and vulnerability — completely won me over. His costume style, both elegant and eccentric, was the finishing touch. I started watching more of his work, and that eventually led me to In Camera. The minimalist yellow poster instantly caught my eye, and after reading the synopsis, I was expecting a hipster indie film about the struggles of an actor’s career. But In Camera is nothing like I anticipated. To begin with, the charisma I usually associate with Nabhaan is absent here. His magnetic presence remains — those eyes that always seem to be hiding something are still a powerful tool — but his character, Aden, is sunk in near-catatonic apathy. At some point, I even started wondering if he’s actually a sociopath. Someone incapable of forming bonds, who doesn’t know how to exist in the world and chooses acting as a way to be told how to walk, dress, and speak. Aden barely reacts to anything. His rare smiles are unsettling — whether in a toothpaste commercial audition or mimicking someone else. The film succeeds in building a subtle atmosphere of unease, with small, disquieting moments: the acting teacher’s hand lingering on Aden’s shoulder, a hint of favoritism; a child pushing a piano; water spilling over while watering a plant; a housemate’s obsession with the vending machine. However, these moments don’t evolve. They contribute to the film’s tone but remain shallow. The only plotline with a more defined arc is Aden’s unusual gig, hired to play the suicidal son of a couple during a family dinner — something like a mix between family constellation therapy and immersive performance. The outcome is ambiguous and interesting: we don’t know if the final embrace is sincere, which works in the film’s favor. Maybe it’s old-fashioned to want to like the protagonist in some way, but to me, that’s a weak point in the film. Aden inspires no empathy. Any potentially redeeming gesture — like gently removing a bee from his room — is quickly undercut by ethically questionable actions. He treats others with cold indifference, rebuffs attempts at connection, and makes morally dubious choices (like switching the tag on a borrowed outfit). The subplot involving one of his housemates — a doctor on the verge of burnout, suffering memory lapses — feels underdeveloped, almost like filler. Conrad, on the other hand, is the only character with a hint of warmth and humanity, offering a necessary contrast to the overall emotional desolation. I was on the verge of writing the whole film off — until the moment Aden eerily "takes" Conrad’s place. That scene brought the narrative back to life for me. The fridge sequence, especially, reminded me of No-Face in Spirited Away — an empty figure absorbing everything and everyone in a desperate attempt to fill a void. The open ending feels more like a convenient escape from the weirdness the film stirred up than a deliberate narrative conclusion. Did he kill or not? It doesn’t seem to matter. Aden’s blank reaction to the praise he receives at the end — echoing his demeanor at the beginning — reinforced my impression: In Camera is, at its core, a story about a sociopath. A character with no arc of redemption, no emotional appeal — just a vehicle for a study in disconnection. Even though the film doesn’t quite reach its full potential, there’s value in the attempt. The atmosphere, the aesthetic precision, and its original premise make In Camera a singular — if flawed — cinematic experience. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Barbara C Superficial, hollow. A wasted occasion. A waste of acting talent. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews

In Camera

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