It’s What’s Inside Review: A Twisty, Tense, Energetic Thriller That Deserves A Big Audience [Sundance]

After an enigmatic opening shot that is utterly baffling until you discover what exactly is inside that aforementioned suitcase, “It’s What’s Inside” begins by taking a look at the troubled relationship between Shelby (Brittany O’Grady) and Cyrus (James Morosini). On the surface, they’re not communicating with each other well, as Shelby dons a wig and some skimpy underwear to try and entice Cyrus into a roleplay scenario, and Cyrus quickly stops an impromptu masturbation session to essentially turn Shelby down. However, a truth the audience is privy to that neither Shelby nor Cyrus are (yet) is that both people are fantasizing about the same third party: Nikki (Alycia Debnam-Carey), a popular social media influencer they used to attend college with. Cyrus seems to want to be with her, while Shelby seems to want to be her, a truth reinforced minutes later during a furiously edited montage where Shelby scours Nikki’s socials with a mixture of disgust and rampant envy.

Right away, Jardin’s visual aesthetic and cutting style demonstrate his gleeful embracing of vulgar auteurism — Kevin Fletcher’s camera flies every which way at a moment’s notice, needle drops get wallpapered over numerous scenes with abandon, and every audacious choice that could be made gets made. This isn’t mere indulgence on Jardin’s part, however; he’s establishing tone as much as pace with his flashy style, indicating that not only are things about to get frantic and weird, but that you can’t trust your own expectations of what will happen next.

The basic set-up for the film involves Shelby, Cyrus, Nikki, and the rest of their old college crew — a tattooed poser, Dennis (Gavin Leatherwood), an alt artist, Brooke (Reina Hardesty), and a new-age hippie, Maya (Nina Bloomgarden) — attending a pre-wedding party for their pal Reuben (Devon Terrell) at his now-deceased eccentric artist mother’s mansion. Adding to the night’s “Big Chill” meets “Bodies Bodies Bodies” vibes of unresolved tensions is the arrival of the most mysterious member of the gang, Forbes (David Thompson), a guy whom the group last saw being expelled after a disastrous party and who shows up with, you guessed it, the briefcase. Once that case is opened, a game begins, and all bets are way, way off.

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