‘It’s What’s Inside’ is a Twisted Thriller with Tons of Energy [Review]

It’s What’s Inside, a new genre thriller from writer/director Greg Jardin, was purchased by Netflix at the Sundance Film Festival with the hopes of… well… I don’t really know. Let’s start here. It’s What’s Inside is really fun with so much energy, twists and turns with potential to entertain a wide-ranging audience. Usually, a film like this would show up at a festival, play well for the audience, be purchased (or not) by a distributor and then get a wide (sometimes) theatrical release. At that point, it was much easier to assess the success or failure of a movie financially. And then over time, when the dust settles, audiences kind of come to a consensus on if the movie was good or not. Then the picture plays on cable or physical media and becomes a piece of history. Simple. The ecosystem in the business was much more black-and-white. And then there’s the way we do it now.

A film like this will show up to a festival, play well, and if it is purchased by a streamer, like Netflix for example, and in the case of It’s What’s Inside it is purchased for $17 million dollars (!), will then be dropped onto the service on some random Friday and if it’s lucky, will end up in the Top 10 that weekend which will hopefully garner some more eyeballs. Then poof, like Keyser Soze, it’s what’s inside… oh wait… I meant to say… it’s gone. Ahh damn. Anyway. I find it interesting yet tragic that a really cool movie like It’s What’s Inside doesn’t really see the light of day. There’s been hardly any marketing for it, and I’m really not quite sure what the justification for that $17 million dollar purchase was. Netflix isn’t really transparent with viewership, and the validity of the Top 10 is about as trustworthy as a fox in a henhouse. I guess it’s a good add to the already dense library of films? Improves their algorithm maybe? I’ll give it to Netflix though, the user interface is fantastic, and that algorithm seems to really understand me. But they undoubtedly robbed the people who like the discourse surrounding the usual life cycle of a new movie of that fun. I can’t help but think It’s What’s Inside would have had some success at the box office and would have been a bigger part of the conversation amongst the movie going public. So, let’s get into It’s What’s Inside…

It’s What’s Inside plays out like this. 

It’s What’s Inside was written and directed by Greg Jardin and is about a mid-to-late 20-something year old friend group who reunite for a pre-wedding party for Reuben, played by Devon Terrell. This group of friends were very close in college, but have gone their separate ways to an extent, with a few exceptions being that some of the group members are still in romantic relationships. Shelby and Cyrus, played by Brittany O’Grady and James Morosini, respectively, are an example of a couple who are currently having some issues in their relationship. Dennis and Nikki, played by Gavin Leatherwood and Alycia Debnam-Carey, respectively, play the parts of trust-fund-rich-kid-party animal (Dennis) and semi-famous influencer (Nikki). Maya and Brooke, played by Nina Bloomgarden and Reina Hardesty are the friendliest of the bunch and round out the core friend group. Then there’s of course the wild card member of the group, Forbes, played by David W. Thompson, who is now an outcast in the group due to his troubled past and unfortunate series of events that happened one night back in college, which separated him from the group from that tragic moment and on.

Forbes shows up to the house with the group to the surprise of everyone and shows up with a mysterious object. This object being a contraption that allows you to switch bodies with anyone who is hooked up to the machine. The rest of It’s What’s Inside plays out in a way where conflict is created by the issues between the group members coming to the surface which is then spliced with bits of science fiction and horror brought on by this mysterious contraption that allows you to switch bodies, and also what Forbes’ motives are for bringing it here, for a pre-wedding get together. I personally cannot get enough of a young friend group being faced with something that leads to secrets being exposed with tragic consequences. Forbes’ magical machine does have a critical flaw though, and when that flaw is realized, the group’s dynamic devolves from already being dysfunctional, to flat out chaotic… 

Technically speaking, It’s What’s Inside is a home run

Technically speaking, It’s What’s Inside is a real triumph because of the wholly unique approach to the stylistic storytelling. The use of manic quick-cutting, various camera techniques, and a dense color palette lead to a high-octane thrill ride. With good performances, a simple(ish) and easy to follow story with twists and turns to go with this high energy style, It’s What’s Inside is an avalanche of originality. I was so engulfed in this one-of-a-kind energy. Yes, pieces of, well, er, actually most of the story is a bit nonsensical, especially scientifically speaking, but the way It’s What’s Inside presents itself as a tragic fairy tale in a f–ked up kind of way allows for them to stretch the reality of this world.

The characters are in no way self-aware, which allows the audience to take everything that happens on screen at face value. The audience doesn’t have to be in on any joke with an annoyingly unserious group of characters, It’s What’s Inside takes itself seriously enough for the audience to stand down from poking holes, and just enjoy. I especially love how when the group switches bodies, it is clear who is in which body and less taxing on the brain to track because the lens flips between the actual color palette and then flips between a beautiful red and black tone to distinguish who is in which body. An extremely creative way to approach this technically and easy to follow for the audience. Plus, it looks great.

A good showing from an up-and-coming cast

The performances in It’s What’s Inside are all great. For the most part, all the performers in It’s What’s Inside understand the assignment, bring the right energy, and deliver on the objective. Especially in a movie where people are changing bodies and have to play up or down the other performer, like they are actually in your body, it’s so important to not miss the mark. Even though the entire main cast plays their parts well, there is really just one standout to me, and that is David W. Thompson as Forbes. Granted, it’s the single best part in the movie, and it’s not close, but Thompson’s performance is blowing everyone else off the screen. The expressiveness of his face is so unique, and he is able to deliver on being mysteriously unsettling, and also an empathetic and likable figure. Front to back, I was all in on the Forbes character, and Thompson’s performance was a big part of that.

Not without its flaws… albeit very few.

It’s What’s Inside, in my opinion, is a really bad title. Just doesn’t roll off the tongue well, and definitely doesn’t bode well on the keyboard. Other than that, I had a hard time finding any critiques for this movie. But, if I had to nitpick, I will say that I wish the movie leaned into more of some confrontational drama, which would lead to some funny dialogue and comical moments. There is a lot of focus on the Shelby and Cyrus relationship drama, which essentially drove the relationship dynamic aspects of this movie, but their back and forth got to the point where it was a little repetitive. The audience circles the wagons quite a bit with those two, and I thought a little more time with the dynamic between some of the other characters would have worked better. 

To conclude:

It’s What’s Inside is well worth your time to fire up on Netflix. It doesn’t quite qualify as a horror movie, it’s much more so a thriller with genre elements, especially science fiction. But I still find it to be one of the better genre movies of the year. I believe this mainly because of its ingenuity and originality. I felt like I was watching something completely new, which is a really great feeling. But I’m devastated as a box office fanatic that I won’t be able to track the financial success of It’s What’s Inside. I’m so curious as to how this movie would have performed with a wide theatrical release. Netflix robbed me of that joy, but on the flip side of that, It’s What’s Inside will now most likely reach a much larger audience.

The target audience for this movie is in fact the Netflix generation, so it makes sense, but I desperately wish that movies as good as It’s What’s Inside took advantage of the consistent success that horror/genre movies have at the box office. Also, what happens if Netflix’s archive just simply vanished. A colossal malfunction that is highly unlikely, but in theory, It’s What’s Inside could actually just disappear off the face of the earth in that scenario. Think about that for a second. I’m sure in that highly unlikely hypothetical there would be a back-up plan to make sure these Netflix exclusives live on, but who knows…

Overall, It’s What’s Inside is a more than enjoyable thriller that is bound to achieve some cult status. The twist ending alone is worth the price of admission, or I should say subscription. Since it doesn’t really have a specific lane, and pulls from so many different sub-genres, and is so unique, I’ll assign this movie to the ‘relationship-drama-thriller with shades of science fiction and horror elements’ sub-genre. Everybody’s favorite!!!

Wicked Horror Rating: 7.5/10

From Netflix, It’s What’s Inside is streaming exclusively on Netflix as of October 4th, 2024.