‘It’s What’s Inside’ SXSW 2024 Review: A Tripped Out Cat-and-Mouse Thriller for Gen Z
Drew Tinnin
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Greg Jardin’s debut feature It’s What’s Inside operates as a millennial update (or deconstruction) of an Agatha Christie novel. That conceit has good timing, it turns out, hot on the heels of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and the moderate indie success of Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. The mystery, full of countless double crosses and unhealthy romantic entanglements, unfolds at a whirlwind pace. Devoid of eerie atmosphere, Jardin’s script leans into a bizarre sci-fi premise involving a hidden role game inspired by Werewolf and Mafia. For those willing to scroll past the TikTok and Instagram-inspired deluge of the first act, the final reveal is absolutely worth waiting for.
The initial setup slowly introduces a version of the familiar prank-gone-wrong setup made famous by countless ’80s slashers. A few years removed from college graduation, Cyrus (James Morosini) and Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) are on shaky ground as a couple, mostly due to Cyrus’ preference to bring his laptop to bed instead of his girlfriend. They’re both invited to a remote mansion for a pre-wedding dinner party with all their old pals for an ill-advised reunion. A notable absence is their brilliant but unbalanced friend Forbes (David Thompson), who shows up announced with an old metallic briefcase in hand. (For those looking for clues, look no further than the Futurama episode “The Prisoner of Benda”.)
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The case is a glaring anachronism that distracts the group from their cell phones just long enough for Forbes to get his claws into them. They play a game after hooking up to electrodes connected to a blinking box of wires and knobs that looks like it could have won the blue ribbon at a science fair back in 1965. They’re all immediately addicted after a short demonstration and one by one they agree to plug back into the machine to play a game that can best be described as a very warped version of Secret Identity.
There’s a manic quality to It’s What’s Inside that works for and against the events unfolding, depending on your preferred dosage of outright lunacy. The effects brought on by Forbes’ invention are euphoric at first, then a little sexy, until everyone begins to realize the dark potential of their newfound situation. Old crushes and hidden suspicions start to resurface and a past betrayal starts to put one character’s diabolical ulterior motive into focus. As the night goes on, everyone becomes an overblown caricature of themselves which makes their true motivations all the more obvious.
Deep down, Jardin and the cast know how ridiculous the premise is, choosing to take the frenzied tone completely off the rails. What could be a thought-provoking social experiment for self-examination is put in the hands of a group of some of the most superficial twenty-somethings imaginable. Almost every character is purely surface level: Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey) the vapid Instagram influencer, Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood) the aimless trustafarian, and Maya (Nina Bloomgarden) the granola hippie. They all just seem to be frolicking through life trying on different personalities.
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There’s a reason for the simplicity of each character, and it’s at the center of It’s What’s Inside‘s fatal flaw. This movie thinks it’s cooler and more complicated than it actually is. While it’s easy to get confused if full attention isn’t given, the dialogue is filled with too much exposition to make sure the characters and the audience are all on the same page. That may have been necessary because of the breakneck editing style and high-speed pacing used that make Jardin’s sci-fi horror comedy look like it’s in fast-forward. Whatever is in the briefcase works like a drug, and It’s What’s Inside is always peaking.
Jardin’s background in short films is on full display, which makes his feature seem a little smaller than it should be. Colorful lighting setups and sped-up line delivery are some of the techniques tailored more for short-form horror. In actuality, the story has plenty of time to take a breath, but instead, it plays out like a rollercoaster without any brakes.
Luckily, the undetected twists and turns mixed with every performer’s total commitment to an admittedly deranged premise bear fruit in the final minutes. Smartly, It’s What’s Inside is hiding a con movie inside of a juicy sci-fi thriller. Netflix paid a whopping $17 million for Jardin’s first feature when it premiered at Sundance, so expect a sequel or two where the briefcase winds up at another house party down the line.
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It's What's Inside
Summary
For those willing to scroll past the Tik Tok and Instagram inspired deluge of the first act, the final reveal is absolutely worth waiting for.
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