It’s What’s Inside is a highly original thriller
“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 premiered, this feature film is Greg Jardin’s debut film which blends thriller, dark comedy and science fiction in a provocative and highly original narrative that starts from a brilliant idea but, over the course of the story, it gets a little lost along the way.
The plot revolves around a group of friends who gather for a pre-wedding party. This moment of joy, however, soon turns into an existential nightmare when a friend no one has seen for a long time shows up with a mysterious, intriguing and dangerous game that brings buried secrets, desires and grudges to the surface. At the center of the game, in fact, there is a device that is capable of inducing the exchange of bodies. And once you have had this mystical and revelatory experience, going back will be increasingly difficult and many hidden truths, secrets, and personal insecurities will come to the surface, creating chaos.
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 different direction than usual, very interesting and with great visual impact. The director, in fact, was able to dare with unexpected, fascinating and unconventional shots that glue to the screen with great communicative power. Thus, the spectator is able to experience firsthand a crazy and engaging story like that of I’ts What’s Inside as if he himself 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. How come? Because it starts from 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 poses and all of them are very interesting. There is a great in-depth study on human psychology, on the topic of appearance in the times of social media, on the secrets of sentimental relationships and when, very often, we lie to others and to ourselves in order to live peacefully. The only thing that, unfortunately, doesn’t work in this film is the rendering on the screen of a story which in theory is a winner but in practice, from the middle of the film onwards, leaves something to be desired, finding its worst aspect precisely in the ending. .
Despite some imperfections, however, we recommend you see It’s What’s Inside because it leaves many food for thought and is no small feat.
Rating: 6.5