It’s What’s Inside Review: A Vision That Responds Exactly to the Purest Mission of Cinema to Entertain
Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Reina Hardesty, Devon Terrell, David W. Thompson, Madison Davenport
Director: Greg Jardin
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
It’s What’s Inside is a very particular science fiction thriller available on Netflix from October 4th. Celebrated at the Sundance and SXSW festivals, where it was presented in preview, this feature film is the debut film by Greg Jardin who blends thrillers, dark comedy, and science fiction in a provocative and very original narration that starts from a brilliant idea but, in the course of the story, gets a bit lost along the way. It’s What’s Inside premiered during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section in January. This film, written and directed by Greg Jardin, combines the horror genre with comedy with a supernatural factor, where the various protagonists each find themselves in another person’s shoes. However, the change of bodies and identity does not occur through evil or demonic possession but with the use of a strange machine that possesses one of the participants of this reunion between old friends. What at first seemed like a fun game will turn out to be a waking nightmare but also an opportunity, for some of them, to be what they have always wanted to become.
For some time now, there has been talk of the potential inherent in that specific recipe that mixes the audiovisual and the playful dimensions. And we are not talking about the much-vaunted translation of video game titles on the big and small screen, but rather that ability, born in America after the cry of escapist cinema, to associate the level of cinematic entertainment with that of a game. Especially a board game, since the film always presupposes a collective dimension, even when seen from the sofa at home, as in the case of It’s What’s Inside. And that’s exactly the right place since the Netflix film written and directed by Greg Jardin takes full advantage of the above recipe and converts it into a home dimension, even recalling it within the film itself (there is a direct reference to a certain rather famous game, not by chance). The success or failure of its evocation determines the audience’s hold on it and, consequently, its ability to dialogue with the film or not.
It’s What’s Inside Review: The Story Plot
Greg Jardin’s It’s What’s Inside at first seems to be a diversion from the film itself, it focuses on the relationship of a young couple of engaged couples in difficulty. The spark between Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and Cyrus (James Morosini) has faded, but the girl is ready to restart things by surprising her boyfriend with a little role-play and wearing a long, attractive blonde wig, unfortunately, it doesn’t work. The embarrassing situation that triggers their umpteenth argument as a couple is somehow put aside by the imminent wedding of an old friend, Reuben (Devon Terrell) in fact who is about to marry his girlfriend Sophia. In anticipation of that marital union called with the hashtag “Reuphia”, in the style of “Bennifer” and “Brangelina”, the future groom decides to invite some of his old college friends to join him for his bachelor party and where the bride-to-be who will not be present.
On the way to the reunion, which will take place at a gothic mansion that belonged to Reuben’s late mother and bohemian artist, Shelby scrolls through the Instagram of another former student, Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), who has since reinvented herself as a seemingly have-it-all influencer and everyone envies her. Rounding out the group of friends are Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood), Brooke (Reina Hardesty), and Maya (Nina Bloomgarden), as well as the enigmatic Forbes (David Thompson). However, the boy who has always been considered the nerd of the group when he suddenly appears at midnight has something special in his possession that will make this a night to remember forever. The object in question is an old suitcase that inside reveals a mechanism, without explaining too much, a sort of party game where everyone has to play a role.
The key point, however, is that the bodies are exchanged between the players, and what appears to be a way to do something different from the usual, such as getting drunk and smoking, will give free rein to the primal instincts of the eight players. The situation will become completely complicated when two of the participants suddenly die and the game will become a matter of survival among the remaining six where some of the protagonists will take advantage of the absurd experience to change their lives. When approaching It’s What’s Inside, try to memorize all the characters’ names and key characteristics as soon as possible. There’s the anxious and vulnerable Shelby (O’Grady), in crisis over what she believes is the disastrous sex life with her boyfriend, Cyrus (Morosini), who constantly falls back on porn. Dennis (Leatherwood), a daddy’s boy with a trust fund, is making his way in life, but here we discover that he shares a curious past with Nikki (Debnam-Carey), a social media influencer.
Then there’s the artistic and eclectic Brooke (Hardesty) and Nina (Bloomgarden), whose penchant for Buddhism and introspection sets her apart from the pack. Everyone has shown up for a bachelor party of sorts to celebrate their friend Rueben (Terrell) before his wedding the next day. The fun and games quickly take a turn for the worse when their nerdy friend Forbes, once an outcast from the group, shows up at the party. He seems to have his agenda for the evening and is eager to use his latest invention straight from Silicon Valley: a body-swapping machine. The first round of random exchanges is a great source of fun for the group: no one knows who the other is, but they can guess; if someone’s identity is guessed, they must confess and stick a photograph of who they really are on their clothes. It is this, along with different lighting cues and editing techniques, that will cleverly allow the viewer to know who is in whose body. But what happens if they start lying? Everyone could be in everyone else’s body, and the characters’ paranoia and suspicion lead the viewer into a wonderfully topsy-turvy house of mirrors, forcing the characters, and us, to keep track of everyone and everything that is revealed.
It’s What’s Inside Review and Analysis
The most interesting aspects of this film are two: the plot and the direction. Greg Jardin must be recognized for his courage in experimenting with a direction that is different from the usual, very interesting, and visually striking. The director was able to dare with unexpected, fascinating, and unconventional shots that stick to the screen with great communicative force. Thus, the viewer can personally immerse himself in a crazy and engaging story like that of Its What’s Inside as if he were another participant in the game. Another positive aspect of the film is the plot, which is certainly the strong point of this first work. Why? Because it starts with a brilliant idea: the realization that only when you detach yourself from your body can you show who you really are, especially in a society that bases everything on appearance.
Thus, through a fun game, apparently superficial but at the same time psychologically very strong, the characters in this story manage to free themselves from the fear of other people’s judgment by showing their true selves only through someone else’s body. But what is the price to pay for this inner freedom? There are many existential questions that this film proposes, and all are very interesting. There is a great insight into human psychology, on the theme of appearance in the age of social media, on the secrets of romantic relationships, and when, very often, we lie to others and to ourselves to live a quiet life. The only thing that in this film, unfortunately, does not work is the rendering on the screen of a story that in theory is a winner but in practice, from the middle of the film onwards, leaves a little to be desired, finding its worst aspect right in the ending. Despite some imperfections, however, we recommend you watch It’s What’s Inside because it leaves a lot to think about and that’s no small thing.
Greg Jardin’s first work joins the horror/comedy genre of which perhaps the best example in recent years is Bodies Bodies Bodies by Halina Reijn. The director creates a film that is on the thin red line between a slasher movie but also a classic thriller that here seems very inspired by the 80s cult film Clue. One of the aspects that strikes the most is Kevin Fletcher’s photography which uses games of mirrors and brightly colored gels the viewer manages to understand with the scenes in red who is really in whose body. Finally, a special mention to the versatile cast, who make deceptively light work of a film that could easily have been incomprehensible. It’s a series of remarkable performances, particularly from David Thompson, Brittany O’Grady, and Alycia Debnam-Carey, whose final scene between who she is and who wears her real body forms the film’s incandescent dramatic core.
With It’s What’s Inside, Greg Jardin delivers to the public an experiment of maximum creativity, which enjoys a very high rewatch potential, thanks to a limited and, above all, excellently used running time. Whoever is behind the camera has as much fun as the protagonists of the story, who try to wink at you continuously and carve out a spotlight that illuminates their presence. Because this, like the already mentioned Talk to Me and Bodies Bodies Bodies, is, in reality, a story that is only hilarious and collective: what is inside – to quote the title, which rewinds a common saying in the opposite key – is nothing other than individualism, young people completely disconnected from reality, caged in masks or “comfortable” relationships, who seem to speak only in the first person singular. Everything is a deception, Jardin suggests, and from the beginning, we are intent on finding all the traps scattered around, but the way we understand our very young protagonists never changes. You can change bodies, think you’re finally getting your revenge, and hope for a sort of “reincarnation” to erase all the sins of your original self: little changes, because inside there is only emptiness.
Our biggest applause goes to the cast of leading actors, who manage to bring to the screen, each with their specificities, the conflict we were talking about earlier: they are one, no one, a hundred thousand, and yet, despite the (intentional) diegetic confusion, we always manage to glimpse who is hiding behind a face that never changes. Although it doesn’t open up entirely, at least formally, to the stylistic features of the horror story, It’s What’s Inside contains them all in what it tells us, behind a big Joker smile – to quote the “competing” film now in theaters. The tragicomedy is about us, who decide without much care when to live and die, always dreaming of being others and diving into other people’s lives, rather than stopping to truly understand who we are.
Greg Jardin, a name to keep an eye on and who will surely give us other great satisfactions, joins other young talents who have understood how to tell today’s youth in all its complexities, through cinematographic genres and without being afraid of framing it through distorted lenses: Jane Schoenbrun with “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” and, above all, the magnificent “I Saw the TV Glow”, Halina Reijn with “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, Phillippou with “Talk to Me”, are among the emerging talents who have been able and wanted to make films for kids, for those who speak the Internet and social media as a second language and want not only to participate in the challenges but, in the best of cases, challenge themselves by starting to look a little deeper inside themselves.
If the film had maintained this structure (although a little miserable) it would have been linear and coherent, instead, it struggles to remain completely centered, to the point of attempting a coup in a third act that wants to dismantle the balance to pretend to be interested in premises that worked to the extent that they were a trigger, weakening the entire structure. The frustrated desire to be an influencer to run away with an old flame or to give in to sadness without pretending anymore, as they are placed, remains useful only to make participation in a paradoxically liberating game appealing, both for the characters and for the audience. Making a generational portrait of it is another story. It’s What’s Inside, with all its limitations in writing and originality, works as long as it manages to stay on a level of play, as suggested by the narrative and editing ideas, as well as the clues scattered throughout the running time and the presence of the unknown of a “master” who plays against his guests (whose origin story is well constructed and visually very much in line with the light-hearted spirit of the film). It falls into banality when it decides that it cares about its characters, altering the balance of a recipe unsuitable for a gala dinner, but certainly in line for a fun evening with friends. That’s for sure.
It’s What’s Inside Review: The Last Words
Not just an exchange of bodies, but of ideas, images, and performances that we will not easily forget: It’s What’s Inside is a film to watch and rewatch to carefully dissect its plots and enjoy a dark ride that is pure joy. It’s What’s Inside is a perfect comic horror for this spooky season and a film that knows how to entertain. A mix of different genres where people play a role but you don’t know until the end who they are. The final epilogue is the real twist that you don’t expect, and it’s the real reason to watch Greg Jardin’s debut work to the end. Everything else is an excuse, from the premises to the themes, even the film knows this, and yet it still decides to pretend that it is interested in something and tries to delve deeper, altering the entire balance. It is recommended to watch it in company, perhaps with four or more people.
It’s What’s Inside Review: A Vision That Responds Exactly to the Purest Mission of Cinema to Entertain - Filmyhype
Director: Greg Jardin
Date Created: 2024-10-04 15:28
4
Pros
- A debut that doesn't seem like a debut: so many ideas and visual solutions that it's hard to take your eyes off it!
- The (double) interpretations of each character, almost all emerging actors
- A vision that responds exactly to the purest mission of cinema: to entertain.
- The play dimension is well constructed.
- It works well as a home movie for a night out with friends.
- The background of the accident is well done.
Cons
- Try to focus on the jumble of information that the public needs to receive, otherwise it is easy to get lost!
- The premises are a bit poor.
- The third act focuses on their development and, for this reason, fails.
