After portraying Vincent van Gogh in the biopic At Eternity’s Gate (2018), Willem Dafoe is taking on a whole new role as an art thief in a film coming to Netflix.
Inside, the psychological crime thriller that premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, sees the Spider-Man and The Last Temptation of Christ star face unexpected twists and turns in this claustrophobic indie. Dafoe, the near-total focus of this feature, is one of just three credited actors, alongside Gene Bervoets and Eliza Stuyck, who appear in the film in supporting roles.
The film, written by Ben Hopkins (Simon Magus, Fuze) and directed by Vasilis Katsoupis in his feature filmmaking debut, is “A psychological thriller that tells the story of Nemo (Dafoe), an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn’t go as planned,” according to the synopsis supplied by Focus Features, the film’s distribution company. “Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and invention to survive.”
Inside, produced in Belgium, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom, grossed $1 million during its theatrical run three years ago, due to its limited and sporadic release. Now that the film is destined for the world’s largest streaming service next month, with Netflix U.S.’s near 100 million-strong subscriber base, fans of the beloved character actor can enjoy this leading performance from Dafoe.
The European film split professional critics on Rotten Tomatoes, scraping a 61% score on the movie review site — just about the 60% threshold for a “fresh” rating. “Inside might be a one-note drama that verges on an endurance test, but it does have Willem Dafoe going for it, which is nice,” Rotten Tomatoes’ critical consensus states.
Inside arrives on Netflix U.S. on November 5, 2026. International territories may vary.
