Marta Kober (Brief Breasts) in Inside Out [Segment 3: Doubletalk] (1991)
[ Original Link: https://vimeo.com/user67859918 ]
DOUBLETALK (On INSIDE OUT 1, Episode 3)
Written by Allison Adler, Directed by Jeff Reiner
DOUBLETALK comes from an interesting pedigree – writer Allison Adler is now a writer/producer on “Supergirl,” having also worked as producer on “Glee,” “The New Normal” and “Chuck,” so it’s not too surprising that it’s significantly more clever and insightful than the average segment. Marta Kober (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2’s female shish-ka-bob victim) and Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer on “Supernatural) play a couple who’ve come back to his place at the end of a date, but mixed signals keep getting in the way of initiating anything physical.
These mixed signals are represented by the duo constantly breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience about their intentions, such as the woman talking about the mise en scène of the film they’ve just scene, coupled with her talking to the camera about his pecs. This concept would have been enough to be mildly entertaining, but Adler’s crisp writing ensures that the actual dialogue the characters speak to each other is just as clever as the distinction between the inner and outer thoughts.
“I hope you like country,” he mentions, putting on the stereo. “I like diversity,” she responds with a slight surliness in her voice, clinched by her line to the audience – “What next, clog dancing?” It’s not just a reluctance to communicate thoughts, it’s a failure to grasp signals that are clearly out there to be grasped, and once the sex is actually initiated, it’s hard not find some kind of identification with the awkwardness on screen even if the concept behind the presentation is so unreal.