Sundance ’24: Buzzy and Mind-Bending ‘IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE’ Pulls Off a Terrific Magic Trick

Eight former college friends reunite the evening before their friend’s wedding to play a heady game with far-reaching consequences. Such is the set-up for Greg Jardin’s utterly transfixing debut feature, a precisely-constructed explosion of creativity that smashes together the college reunion comedy, puzzle box thrillers, and a Shane Carruth-esque level of science-fiction precision. Skillfully paced to snatch your attention early on and never lose it for a moment, experiencing It’s What’s Inside is like watching a flawlessly executed magic trick for the very first time.

Cyrus (James Morosini) and Shelby’s (Brittany O’Grady) relationship is on the rocks. She’s tried to turn their eight years together (college “sweethearts” soured on the shores of time’s passing) into something broadly resembling a viable future but his snide put downs and controlling nature reveal a man too cowardly to graciously bow out of a relationship he’s already put a fork into. Their romantic discontent, reminiscent of the detached, manic dysfunction of Dani and Christian from Midsommar, become increasingly strained both in private and in front of their friends, which Jardin’s film interrogates unflinchingly. Often with cringe-inducing hilarious results.

Invited to the night before nuptials of their old college friend Reuben (Devon Terrell), they encounter a host of other blast from the past friends. There’s Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), the vacuous and self-absorbed “Insta influencer”; Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood), the resident F-boy; Brooke (Reina Hardesty), a spacy stoner with distinctive style; and Maya (Nina Bloomgarden), the hippy-dippy yoga spiritualist of the gang. With the surprise arrival of the group’s estranged and brilliant friend Forbes (David W. Thompson), things take a turn towards the enigmatic and bizarre.

Forbes has a game in store for them that will leave the group questioning who they are and what they mean to each other, with old romances, feuds, and flirtations boiling to the surface as if it were as fresh as yesteryear. To reveal the narrative devices that get them there would undo one of the movie’s (many) great surprises so I’ll avoid further plot details. Sufficed to say, the cast is asked to do their own bit of magic, drifting between characterization, quirks, and desires with mysterious precision. Each of these hard-bodied up-and-comers makes a mark.

For his part, Jardin impresses as a director as much as a writer, turning what could have been a jumble of big swings into a brilliantly coherent and cohesive piece of genre filmmaking. His directorial style erupts out of the gate feeling fully formed, particularly when he finds a creative, and hilarious, way to visualize the way that gossip goes on to inform its own mythology. This is just one of many genuinely laugh out loud moments informed by clever writing and pitch-perfect performances. I’d be hard pressed to think of a debut that felt this alive. This tactile. Demanding and yet entirely cogent. His work is at once dazzlingly creative and yet you’re left wondering why no one else has told this story before. I can’t wait to turn myself over to it again.

CONCLUSION: Greg Jardin’s ‘It’s What’s Inside’ is a hilarious, mind-bending puzzle box comedy-thriller. Crafted with incredible precision and featuring an electrifying ensemble cast, this eruptive debut is destined to be one of the buzziest movies of 2024.