‘It’s What’s Inside’ (2024) Review: A Dangerous Game
Last year, Hollywood directors released Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk to Me and Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, two fun horror movies that involved playing a dangerous game. From evil spirits haunting the players to finding a killer amongst a group stuck in a mansion, Greg Jardin’s It’s What’s Inside follows the same recipe but with a fun twist that involves body-swapping technology that quickly takes an unexpected turn.
It’s been eight years since graduation. The long-term couple, Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and Cyrus (James Morosini) are about to visit their friend, Reuben (Devon Terrell), for his wedding celebration at his family’s creepy mansion. Joining them would be their friends, glamorous influencer with a large following, Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), unemployed party boy, Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood), spiritual stoner, Brooke (Reina Hardesty) and hippie Maya (Nina Bloomgarden).
After the friends reunite, there’s already some tension brewing in the air. Shelby and Cyrus are having issues in their relationship, which include Cyrus’ attraction towards Nikki and his lack of sexual interest towards his girlfriend. What shakes the table at the reunion is the return of Forbes (David Thompson), who had disappeared off the map and dropped out of college after a controversy. His unexpected invite surprises the gang.
With a suitcase in his hand, Forbes introduces his friends to the new technologically advanced body-swapping game. It switches people’s minds into different bodies, allowing them to possess someone else’s body for a limited period of time. But when the sexual desires and past histories with each other begin to warp their new reality, the game becomes dangerous for these friends.
Jardin’s It’s What’s Inside is an entertaining movie that slowly spins out of control. There are also many twists and turns but not to an extent that is difficult for the viewer to follow. In previous body-swapping movies released in Hollywood, Jardin doesn’t move towards the cliched aspects of men observing women’s bodies in a deeply gross manner. The director stays clear of that and focuses on the absurd feeling of using advanced technology to body-swap their friends. He explores the secret desires of Cyrus’s attraction towards Nikki and Shelby’s goal to remain desirable for her boyfriend.
Another aspect that It’s What’s Inside explores is the satirical comedy, especially Nikki. Perhaps Jardin is focusing on unhealthy beauty and psychological aspects of social media influencer culture that makes young girls insecure about themselves, which is the case between Nikki and Shelby. Nikki’s beauty influence and lifestyle are glamorised. Her social media presence and brand deals are just for show. But there’s a conversation that goes beyond the overlooking eyes of observers.
Shelby is aware of Cyrus’s obsession with Nikki and it’s clear that he is attracted to her. The drama between Nikki, Shelby and Cyrus explores cheating, unhealthy body image expectations, and social media persona. It observes the difference between reality and fantasy, while also focusing on the layers of human insecurities that make people act out differently.
It’s What’s Inside is a suspense-filled, entertaining comedy horror film that attempts to explore social commentary regarding social media. It’s a bold visual feast. Jardin incorporates bright lights to indicate whether characters are in danger or when they are speaking to their true selves. Even the flashback scenes are told in photograph sequences to remember the memories of their days at college. It’s What’s Inside could’ve dug deeper into social media idolisation and unhealthy body standards. The commentary only scratches the surface and does not attempt to explore other layers of why human insecurities and weaknesses get the best of them.
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Donate to the Lebanese Red Cross.
Thread of Sudanese initiatives to donate.
You can also join the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement, a Palestinian-led movement as a form of resistance to Israeli occupation.
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