It’s What’s Inside Review: A Visual Feast with a Hollow Core

Netflix has made yet another major acquisition with the comedy-horror film It’s What’s Inside, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Greg Jardin, the film was purchased for an impressive $17 million. With such a price tag, one might expect a perfect blend of style and substance, but while the film excels visually, it falls short on delivering a compelling story.

A Great Premise with Unfulfilled Potential

The setup for It’s What’s Inside is intriguing. The movie begins with a heated argument between Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and her boyfriend Cyrus (James Morosini) over their sex life. Shelby, trying to spice things up with a wig, faces reluctance from Cyrus, which eventually spirals into a larger debate about their relationship. Despite this tension, they head to a wedding gathering of college friends at Reuben’s (Devon Terrell) house an eerie mansion filled with his late mother’s artwork.

The friends Reuben, Cyrus, Shelby, and four other college acquaintances come together for a reunion of sorts. However, the plot really picks up when Forbes (David Thompson), a former classmate who had been expelled for inappropriate behaviour, arrives unexpectedly with a device that allows the group to swap bodies. What starts as a quirky and amusing premise quickly devolves into chaos as each character faces the disturbing consequences of the body-switching machine.

Bold Visuals Elevate a Thin Storyline

There’s no denying the visual appeal of It’s What’s Inside. Jardin, in his feature debut, crafts a vibrant and stylized experience that keeps viewers glued to the screen. The use of split screens, picture-in-picture displays, and social media elements creates a dynamic and visually engaging narrative. The film often feels like a live-action collage, blending together different textures and tones in a way that makes each frame pop with energy.

One particularly memorable sequence involves the camera spinning wildly around a couch, capturing the faces of the eight characters in rapid succession until they blur together. This visual trickery aligns with the film’s themes of identity and deception, making the audience question who’s really who, and it works to stunning effect. But while the visuals often serve the story, this is the exception rather than the rule.

Another element worth noting is the colour palette, which leans heavily on greens and blues, creating an almost otherworldly atmosphere. At times, the house itself feels like a character cold, distant, and filled with mirrors that distort reality.

However, as striking as the film is, the soundtrack doesn’t quite live up to the visuals. While moments like Cyrus’ voice fading out as Shelby tunes him out are effective, other musical cues feel jarring. By the time the movie reaches its climax, the soundtrack’s dissonance detracts more than it adds, becoming more of a distraction than a complement to the action on screen.

Characters with Little Depth

While It’s What’s Inside shines with its visual creativity, it falters in its storytelling, particularly when it comes to character development. The body-swapping concept provides ample opportunity to explore deeper themes of identity, desire, and self-perception, but the film fails to take full advantage.

The characters feel like archetypes rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. For instance, Reuben is the wealthy playboy, Cyrus is the insecure boyfriend, and Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey) is the superficial social media influencer. We’re given only the most surface-level insights into their personalities, which makes it difficult to care about them as they navigate the bizarre situation, they’ve found themselves in.

Even the most compelling plotline, the strained relationship between Shelby and Cyrus, becomes repetitive. Their constant bickering grows tiresome, and after a while, it becomes hard to understand why they’re still together. The film repeatedly returns to their conflict, but instead of exploring it in depth, it merely circles around the same unresolved issues.

Additionally, the body-swapping concept which should offer rich storytelling potential ends up feeling underutilized. There’s little exploration of what it means for characters to inhabit different bodies, particularly in terms of race, gender, or sexuality. For instance, when characters find themselves in bodies that are different from their own, there’s no substantial reaction or introspection about this experience. Instead, the film focuses on superficial drama and relationships, missing an opportunity to delve into more profound questions about identity and self-awareness.

The Film’s Underwhelming Climax

Without giving too much away, It’s What’s Inside builds to a third-act twist that attempts to add depth to the otherwise thin plot. However, the twist feels more like a gimmick than a natural progression of the story. The film introduces a new character late in the game, which serves to complicate the plot unnecessarily rather than enriching it.

The finale of the film feels rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. Much like Ari Aster’s Midsommar, It’s What’s Inside tries to pull off a shocking and cathartic ending, but it lacks the emotional weight necessary to make the climax land effectively. The characters, who were underdeveloped throughout the film, don’t elicit the kind of empathy or understanding that would make the ending resonate.

This leaves the audience feeling as though they’ve been taken on a wild ride, only to crash into a wall just as things were getting interesting. The final act of the movie is filled with twists and reveals, but without a strong emotional core, it feels hollow.

Final Thoughts: Style Over Substance

In the end, It’s What’s Inside is a mixed bag. On one hand, Greg Jardin’s direction is visually striking and bursting with creative energy. The film’s inventive use of split screens, bold colour schemes, and dynamic camera work make it a treat for the eyes. However, the narrative doesn’t live up to the promise of the visuals. The characters lack depth, the story is thin, and the body-swapping premise, while clever, is not fully explored.

For fans of visually stimulating films, It’s What’s Inside will likely be an enjoyable watch. It’s a stylish and ambitious debut that shows Jardin’s potential as a director. However, if you’re looking for a movie that offers both style and substance, this one may leave you wanting more. The film succeeds in creating a visually compelling experience but stumbles when it comes to delivering a meaningful story.

In conclusion, while It’s What’s Inside has all the trappings of a great film—a unique concept, a talented cast, and stunning visuals—it ultimately falls short due to its shallow characters and underdeveloped plot. There’s no doubt that Jardin is a filmmaker to watch, but he’ll need to work on crafting stories that are as layered and complex as his visuals to truly leave a lasting impact.