Sundance 2024 | Movie Review: “It’s What’s Inside” - A Non-Spoiler Review Of Greg Jardin’s Exceptional Sci-Fi/Thriller Feature Debut

12/12 ForReel Score | 5/5 Stars

The most unfortunate thing about It’s What’s Inside is that the vast majority of audiences won’t experience the film the way I did - entirely unaware of what is in the suitcase.

As the title suggests, the premise of the film hinges on what’s inside a mysterious suitcase; “what’s inside” has everything to do with how this clever concept plays out in the narrative involving this young and attractive group of long-time friends at a pre-wedding get together.

I will admit (after scrapping a number of drafts of this review) that it is an immense challenge to write on It’s What’s Inside without exposing “what’s inside”. This is a film that isn’t only served best when audiences approach it blind, but I would even consider it a stroke of genius on the part of first time feature filmmaker Greg Jardin.

Image courtesy of Sundance

Therefore, as one who deeply believes that this film deserves to be seen with as much ignorance to the premise as possible, you have my assurance that this will be the most spoiler-free review I’ve ever written. With that said, I can’t expose too much about the content in the film. When I spoke to Jardin and the cast on the Sundance world premiere press line, all members tastefully danced around spoilers, often expressing that the film is simply a lot of fun. And now that I’ve seen it, what I can confirm about It’s What’s Inside is that it is, in fact, abundantly enjoyable - likely the most fun film at Sundance this year.

Writer and director Greg Jardin pulls from all areas of his background in visual art, music video production, and marketing promotion work with platforms like Netflix to bring this concept to life using smart editing to keep viewers on board with what’s transpiring and vibrant colors as an integral component of the film’s visual language and style. The color red, in particular, plays a crucial role in understanding the story and learning about the characters.

This is typically where I would exclaim about the cast’s acting talent because - for reasons that will be apparent when you see the film - all members of this sexy and electric ensemble exhibit impressive acting prowess to pull this narrative off. Many of the cast members you might recognize from TV series - Brittany O’Grady from White Lotus and Alycia Debnam-Carey from Fear the Walking Dead for example - show that they belong on the big screen. And one other you might recognize from ForReel content. James Morosini, who spoke with me in 2022 about his SXSW award winning film I Love My Dad, offers the best performance of his career thus far, further demonstrating what was already apparent in 2022: that Morosini is a talent to watch. It’s What’s Inside gives all of its cast an opportunity to shine, and if their work in this film is any indication of their willingness to take on challenging and complicated roles, I am excited about following all of their futures in entertainment.

But it is the mastermind, Greg Jardin, who deserves ample praise and fanfare for this masterpiece of a sci-fi/thriller feature debut. It’s What’s Inside is an ambitious project, especially when you see the intricacies of how the story unfolds and, not to mention, the fact that Jardin elected to do much of the post-production work himself. That ambition pays off ten fold as this film establishes itself early in 2024 as the brainteaser film of the year.  The concept is not only impressively clever, but it is also so tactfully executed. 

Even with the spoiler of knowing “what’s inside”, if you happened to have been informed already, It’s What’s Inside still has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep the film one of the most engaging indie sci-fi experiences we’ve seen since Everything Everywhere All At Once. If you couldn’t tell, I can’t recommend It’s What’s Inside highly enough to audiences wanting a wildly unique cinematic experience. Finding out what’s inside is just the beginning. I implore you to brace yourself for everything else that follows.