Netflix knows it’s October, too. I expected a bunch of 2-2.5 star cheap cash grab horror tales over the course of the month like all other studios are doing as well. What I didn’t expect was some director to use one of those AI generated stories and take it as a real challenge. But that’s when Greg Jardin did, taking something we’ve seen before and making something exciting and interesting out of it. Body swaps are back!
Cyrus (James Morosini) and Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) sure seem like they might want a swap of some kind. After failing and trying to spice up their relationship with some role play, the stuck in a rut couple head to a weekend celebration of their buddy Reuben’s (David Terrell) upcoming wedding at a giant family mansion/art installation in the middle of nowhere (obviously). Also invited are the trio’s college friends: Instagram famous Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), wanna be rapper Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood), Maya (Nina Bloomgarden), a hippie artist and Reuben’s old fling, and edgy, honest Brooke (Reina Hardesty). Oh, and one more: Reuben invited Forbes (David W. Thompson), the genius in their college who got expelled from a party incident, but became a tech guru…and just brought along his big new invention.
The gimmick is on the nose but very movie fun: a machine that swaps you in and out of people’s bodies, but eventually let’s you switch back. This is the first time you’ll have to put your phone down and actually pay attention, as you try to remember who’s in whose body as the games go on in the night. The unknown cast has a lot of fun with the premise, even if they’re not the best thespians. The tales are on the nose, but exciting: watching a couple legitimately play out real life role playing, or a deep down desire that can get out without real consequences. The title gives away the game, as at some point, the person inside is always going to come to the surface, no matter what body that person is in, swapped or not. There are more than a few twists and crosses that make the third act a lot of fun, and also not overstay its welcome, plus a coda that wraps up the movie nicely, and leaves a big door open for more films like this. Cutting ambition for the sake of a clear story with all the swapping shenanigans was the right choice, so as to find the right balance of keeping streamers watching It’s What’s Inside without succumbing to their phones.
In most writer/director stories, it’s my belief a great writer/script can save a mediocre director, and rarely does it work the opposite. But in this case, It’s What’s Inside wouldn’t work as well if Greg Jardin, director, didn’t help out his ok script with ok actors. His choices make the movie come alive, pulsating with excitement and energy as we get deep into the swapping. His use of color is exquisite, taking that Red-Green-Blue (RGB) light scheme computers made us all aware of and applying it to these people, using one for the true refraction, one for distorted fantasies, and one as our base. There’s some nice visual ticks he uses to help the audience, like periscope vision for one person’s attraction to another, or a jittery blinky face for a panicked expression. The big Forbes/Dennis fallout flashback is amusingly constructed around photos that constantly edit depending on the storyteller. Jardin uses every flourish he can in his arsenal to hide It’s What’s Inside’s weakness and keep the movie as kinetic and engaging as possible.
So amidst the glut of brutal horror porn and lazy IP retreads, maybe give It’s What’s Inside a try this season? It has enough to make sense as a Horrortober release, but enough new as well to feel like you’re not openly questioning your Netflix subscription. It’s the first time in a while I can’t wait for a sequel to something on the streamer, as there are so many more body swapping ideas we can put in here, that maybe we can use less AI on the script next time, Greg? I guess I’m trying to say: let the writer out a little more next time.