Netflix's Body-Swap Thriller 'It's What's Inside' Is One of the Best of ...

I’ve been chasing that Coherence high for about ten years now, and Netflix’s newest might be the magic dragon. It’s What’s Inside isn’t exactly full of the same twisted stoic dramatic turmoil of Coherence, The Invitation, and Primer, but it’s the kind of movie that made me pause it so I could sketch out a map and a timeline which is simply the most beautiful way to consume media in this viewer’s humble opinion.

Much like other recent hit, Bodies Bodies Bodies, It’s What’s Inside is set at a sprawling mansion during a gathering of close friends with fractured relationships. Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and Cyrus (James Morosini) have been struggling to find their romantic spark and feel put just a bit on trial as they arrive at Reuben’s (Devon Terrell) night-before-his-wedding soiree. Among attendees are Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), a vapid influencer with whom Cyrus seems enamored, Maya (Nina Bloomgarden), a free-spirit who catches Reuben’s wandering eye, and Forbes (David Thompson), their creepy old friend who disappeared after a messy night that left many of them in trouble and who has since joined a cryptic tech company. Looking to get the party started, Forbes busts out a spooky briefcase and pitches that they play a game: use his machine which makes everyone switch bodies then see if they can figure out who is who.

The game is as much for the audience as it is the characters. While they pry, prod, flirt, and smack talk to try and both exploit and solve the mystery of who is piloting each body, the audience is asked to figure out who is being duplicitous and to then engage in the dramatic irony as that unfolds. It’s a riot and adds an element of eagle-eye film games to an otherwise spunky fun thriller. The film spends just enough time contemplating theories of personhood then allows physical attraction to play a role in how these characters interact with each other. It’s a mess, and in the words of a great woman turned internet meme, “I love mess.”

While drawing maps and theories is all fun and games, It’s What’s Inside does use creative visual clues to keep the audience up to speed. I sometimes felt spoon fed, but it’s arguably imperative at points, especially as the film moves quickly and characters are so duplicitous, it might require too much attention to keep up with the story line. In the inverse, some restraint in that regard might have made it riper for multiple viewings. Its tells and reveals aren’t all perfect which could result in some cracks when replaying it, but It’s What’s Inside makes for some delightful body swap shenanigans that are made exceedingly wonderful by virtue of the cast.

The cast of all your best-looking college buddies make this body swap ball a blast. Characters are introduced at an effective but dizzying speed and are so quickly established as unique enough that we can recognize them when they’re wearing alternative skinsuits. The ensemble is so skilled at playing one another, you could imagine them taking the piss out of each other at a cast party. It’s a nice reminder of just how good actors really are and is what makes this movie so much fun to consume.

Writer and director, Greg Jardin, definitely made a movie reminiscent of those tiny sci fi flicks in the corners of cable that you might hear about through word-of-mouth and hope will appear at the tale end of Prime searches, but he also imbued it with a whacky tone that kept the energy high and refused to let you look away from the screen. He expertly uses his cast and the medium to set the films rules in a Brady Bunch like grid shot that made me nod in reverence. Creative stylistic flashbacks, using color to denote realities, and the very tone wrapped around this science fiction horror thriller where friends quite literally fall to their deaths is what makes this movie a special and different mashup which is, again, why I compared it to Coherence smacking into Bodies Bodies Bodies.