It’s What’s Inside 2024 Movie Review
An anxiety-inducing yet entertaining techno-thriller with a fantastic ensemble cast and bonkers concept! The first watch is a wild ride, but there is a lot going on both visually and story-wise. The second time is better as we can focus more on the story and start seeing all of the details.
A surface-level comparison would be “Talk To Me” meets “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, but “It’s What’s Inside” definitely stands on its own. It at first feels style-over-substance, but the character and themes are thoroughly explored while maintaining a steady pace and keeping us at the edge of our seats. It’s a rare occurrence with modern movies where style actually serves the story, from the split screens to the bold color choices.
The acting is great and the ensemble’s chemistry feels extremely natural. After a screening at the Lincoln Center, writer-director Greg Jardin said that he incorporated a lot of the actors’ qualities into the script and the actors talked about studying each other’s character portrayals (body-swapping is at the center of the story). This level of openness definitely enhances the movie and lets the performances really shine.
The writing ]deserves a mention because although there’s a lot going on, it rarely feels frustratingly convoluted and the exposition never feels exposition-y. I feel like Hollywood writers would’ve constantly used lazy dialogue to immediately explain who’s who in every scene (this is only done a few times when it made sense to do so), while Jardin uses character mannerisms and callbacks. The only thing I didn’t really dig was the outcome for a couple of the characters.
Also, the film explores social media and technology better than most – it doesn’t feel like an annoyed boomer or gen X-er with surface-level complaints about how millenials and gen Z are so self-obsessed and dependent. Self-image, addiction, and “the grass is greener” are always centered.
