Dir: Greg Jardin
Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Reina Hardesty, Devon Terrell, David W. Thompson, Madison Davenport
This surprisingly engaging Netflix sleeper hit is a stylish black comedy that centres around an ingenious modern take on the classic body-swap trope
When cinemas shut their doors in the bleak and isolating times during the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the many forms of entertainment friends and families partook in to prevent their social skills from dwindling, was that of parlour games. Whether this be a quiz over Zoom, or a family Monopoly night, parlour games have once again become a staple of modern social gatherings having previously been on the decline as a result of the TikTok generation’s fixation on video games and online content. This has seen parlour games creep into the movie industry in the last couple of years, particularly in the horror genre. These post-Covid, precarious game night features include Halina Reijn‘s excellent Gen-Z satire, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (2022), and Danny and Michael Philippou‘s unique take on spiritual possession in last year’s “Talk to Me”. Writer-director Greg Jardin has also opted to explore this format for his debut feature, the body swap black-comedy “It’s What’s Inside”.
Having premiered at Sundance way back in January, the film was quickly snapped up by Netflix for worldwide distribution in a deal worth $17 million, the largest acquisition deal at this year’s festival. After also screening and fellow independent festival South by Southwest in March, “It’s What’s Inside” was finally released on Netflix earlier this month. Despite it being one of the hottest properties at Sundance earlier this year, I was unfamiliar with Jardin’s film up until its worldwide streaming release, but despite Netflix’s limited marketing, the sci-fi-horror seems to have become somewhat of a sleeper hit for the streaming service, with it gaining traction through strong word of mouth.
The first members of the ensemble cast we are introduced to are strained long-term couple Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and Cyrus (James Morosini). Despite their lengthy nine-year relationship, the couple’s emotional and sexual interactions are fraught, with Cyrus’ desires instead aimed towards influencer Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), whose looks and lifestyle Shelby is visibly envious of. Despite Shelby’s protestations, the couple attend a pre-wedding party hosted by college friend and groom-to-be, Reuben (Devon Terrell), at his sprawling late-mother’s estate. Other members of the clique in attendance are: spoilt party boy Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood); stoner Brooke (Reina Hardesty); spiritualist Maya (Nina Bloomgarden); and Nikki, whom Cyrus is instantly drawn to like a moth to a flame. Also in attendance, much to the group’s surprise, is tech entrepreneur Forbes (David W. Thompson), who had previously experienced a thorny relationship with the group due their involvement in his expulsion from college.
Forbes is on hand to present his latest invention to the group, and proceeds to have them all don electrodes on their temples as he flips a switch. Everyone, except from Forbes, begins to freak out, and rightly so, given that they have suddenly found themselves occupying each other’s bodies. After putting everyone back in their rightful place, Forbes proposes an incredibly invasive parlour game similar to that of “Mafia” or “Werewolf”, where the group of friends are to switch bodies, and it is up to the everyone to figure out who is currently possessing whose body. What initially starts out as a harmless game of guess who, quickly descends into something far more mean-spirited as the group begins to exploit their anonymity to fulfil their own desires and vendettas.
While there is a lot to enjoy in Jardin’s feature debut, it is hard to ignore the obvious similarities to the aforementioned spooky parlour game releases. The dark Netflix comedy derives its narrative from Reijn’s murder mystery, from its lavish setting to its surface-stripping satire of generational friend groups. Unlike “Bodies Bodies Bodies” exploration of the younger Gen-Z crowd however, Jardin’s “It’s What’s Inside” targets an older, more millennial audience by touching on subjects like marriage, life choices and unfulfillment. Additionally, “It’s What’s Inside” touches on the invasive themes of body possession, previously explored in “Talk to Me”, with a group of naïve and socially withdrawn friends becoming addicted to having their body possessed as a means to express their darkest inner emotions. It is under the guise of those closest to them that our gang protagonists are able to express their desires, regrets and animosities without having to fear any resulting consequences for their actions.
It is once the body swapping hijinks begin that the group’s multiple dynamics begin to work their magic, and we ultimately get the best out of our impressive ensemble cast. I am unclear as if it is a creative choice, but all eight core cast members are uncomfortably wooden throughout the movie’s initial setup, and it is not until they are essentially acting out a different role that they come into their own. This could be seen as each character purposely hiding their inner emotions out of fear of being ridiculed by their peers, and the freedom of inhabiting a new body allows them to fully express themselves, with each actor painstakingly capturing the mannerisms and characteristics of their co-stars.
While Jardin’s approach to this morally questionable game night is relatively safe, with him only scratching the surface of the several existential questions he begins to ask. What Jardin does manage to achieve is a realistic depiction of long-time yet distant friendship groups. The dialogue and delivery by the cast provides the camaraderie one would expect from old college buddies, but their sporadic interactions over the years still allows moments of awkwardness to linger in, whether this sees Shelby and Cyrus continuously mistaken to be married, or the constant trips down memory lane that are often teeming with factual inaccuracy.
Jardin and cinematographer Kevin Fletcher employ an overtly stylish filmmaking style, with contrasting neon colours and the use of split screen to help the viewer identify any given body’s current occupant. While the unnaturally vibrant reds and greens are jarringly out of place in such an luxurious setting, this emphasis on style remains in keeping with the movie’s themes surrounding the superficial lives people present in modern society. While the mystery of who’s who is spelt out to the audience, what makes “It’s What’s Inside” so compelling, is seeing the group of friends continuously struggle to figure it out for themselves, resulting in a chaotic and often hilarious series of events, burning many bridges in the process.
Despite its unique take on body-swap movies such as “Freaky Friday”, “It’s What’s Inside” looks to benefit on other recent darkly comedic parlour game horrors in delivering an engaging narrative. Despite this familiar premise, the hilariously uneasy interactions between the excellent ensemble has you invest into their relationships, and always leaves the audience second guessing as to who is going to make it out socially unscathed, or even alive.
It’s What’s Inside is now available to stream on Netflix
Dan Loves Film 
Thanks for turning me on to this – we will be watching it this weekend!
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A good surprise
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Great
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