It’s What’s Inside is a body-swapping fest that blends sci-fi, horror, and dark comedy. The movie eases us in with a familiar setup. It begins with a reunion bash among old friends who are celebrating an upcoming wedding. Old tensions simmer just below the surface, building anticipation for the mess that’s bound to spill over. Then, a not-so-welcome guest arrives with a mysterious briefcase, kicking off a wild chain of events, and just as the poster promises: “no body is leaving the same as they came.”
The biggest problem with this premise is that we simply hadn’t spent enough time with these characters as the proverbial shit hits the fan. And so we’re unable to truly immerse ourselves in their body-swapping euphoria. As the characters play a few rounds of Guess Who (a game akin to Mafia or Werewolf), I too found myself joining in, but more as someone who was reluctantly forced to participate in a game at a party she wished she wasn’t at. I was surrounded by strangers whose names and faces I couldn’t remember, when it dawned upon me that all of them were basically caricatures of clichés.
Maybe writer/director Greg Jardin was going for satire, or maybe these exaggerated characterizations were merely a device to help us keep track of who’s who. Whatever the reason, it didn’t work, and the first part of the movie just felt like a whirlwind of chaotic introductions.
A freak accident then throws the night into disarray, marking the point where the movie becomes steadily more engaging. We don’t necessarily care for these characters any more than we did at the start, but that actually works in the movie’s favour. We simply begin to see this group of friends for who they truly are as they struggle to mask their intense dislike of each other. As the tensions ramp up, the story becomes increasingly exhilarating.
If anything, It’s What’s Inside only truly shines in the aftermath of all the body-swapping. The characters rarely land in the comical scenarios you’d expect from this kind of premise — a missed opportunity, for sure. But hey, maybe the film was going for a more serious tone? Unfortunately, it doesn’t fully commit to that either — yet another missed chance.
There’s a hint of commentary on racism, but it doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves.
Except for one glossed over instance, none of the characters actually swap into the opposite gender, which could have opened the door to a much wider, much cleverer, metaphor. The film also doesn’t fully explore bodily autonomy or consent, even as the characters casually take advantage of each other’s bodies while swapping.
Even the existential dilemmas it presents come across as superficial; although not entirely trivial. In the end, we’re left with a less meaningful exploration of powerful themes that barely scratch the surface.
If you aren’t looking for a deep and nuanced exploration of friendship and contemporary social mores, but enjoy thrillers and slick visuals, then this might still be a worthwhile watch. But I do wonder how much more memorable an addition to the genre this could have been, had it simply taken the time to better develop its characters, allowing each one to tell their own compelling story.
It would have cranked up the stakes of the body-swapping catastrophe and made the ending far more mind-blowing. Even the buildup to the plot twist didn’t hit as hard as it should have. It simply comes out of nowhere, like a contrivance rather than the properly fleshed-out, triumphant revenge story that it had the potential to be.
It’s What’s Inside boasts a high-concept plot, a talented cast, and a stylishly eerie old mansion as its backdrop, making it undeniably entertaining. I can’t help but feel, however, that it teases more than it delivers.
The film leans heavily into style over substance, offering more aesthetics than meaningful insight. For the most part, the movie delivers enough disturbing ideas to keep you intrigued and glued to the screen. It tries hard to come off as more intellectual than it actually is, but ultimately works better as a thrilling watch than as a thought-provoking piece.
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