What Is the Significance of It’s What’s Inside’s Mysterious Suitcase?

It’s What’s Inside is one of Netflix’s newest additions to its extensive library. The mind-bending thriller is writer-director Greg Jardin’s feature film debut. Jardin has previously directed shorts, television promos, and music videos, but this is his first full-length movie. His past experience with promos and music videos can be felt in It’s What’s Inside, as his highly stylized form of storytelling and eye for visual aesthetics are unique. The film holds appeal for audiences not only in the compelling visuals but also in the thought-provoking and intriguing mystery at the heart of the story.

What Is It’s What’s Inside About?

It starts off simply enough, and with a premise that has been seen in countless dramas and comedies before it – a group of old friends are coming back together after years of separation because of a big life event. In this case, the wedding of one member of the friend group, Reuben. This film, however, offers its own twist to this kind of story.

They gather together at the estate of Reuben’s late mother, an eccentric artist whose work viewers can see in the background of many shots. As viewers meet each of the members of this group and see them making the journey to the isolated estate, they get a glimpse of who these characters are now and who they’ve been to each other throughout the years. As with most stories involving old friends getting together, each character brings with them their own small part of the group dynamic, and each of them brings with them their own tension and baggage – within themselves, and with other members of the group.

Viewers are first introduced to Cyrus and Shelby, played by James Morosini and Brittany O’Grady respectively, a couple who seem to be going through a rough patch. Although the movie relies on a talented ensemble cast, Cyrus and Shelby are, arguably, the true main characters of It’s What’s Inside.It is through their relationships with each other and with the other members of the core group that we view all the subsequent events of the film, until the end.

After their introduction, audiences get glimpses of the rest of the cast – there’s the rich playboy Dennis, the free-spirit Maya, the dark artistic Brooke, the seemingly perfect influence Nikki, and the person they’re all coming together to celebrate, Reuben. The group met in college and created a lasting bond, and despite growing apart and moving on with their own lives, that connection still remains enough for them to follow through on the promise to be there for Reuben the night before his wedding.

What’s the Mystery of the Movie?

Once all of them are together at Reuben’s estate, however, we learn through dialogue that there is one more member of the friend group who is currently missing – the mysterious Forbes. The audience learns, along with Shelby, the supposed reason that Forbes isn’t there and might not be coming. There was some sort of incident at a party years ago, back in college, where Dennis and Forbes got into a fight. It had something to do with Forbes’ sister, though the details are muddied and argued over. In the end, Forbes ended up expelled from school, and he cut ties with the rest of the group.

So, although Reuben invited him to the party, no one is sure if he’ll actually show up. Forbes does show, though – fashionably late and with a suitcase he seems reluctant to let go of. After giving a few cryptic answers about what he’s been up to since leaving college, Forbes suggests they play a game. Without any explanation as to what the game really is, or how the suitcase works, he gets the group to let him hook them up to it and the games begin.

This is when the plot really gets going – with the first intro of the game. It’s revealed that the suitcase, a new technology that Forbes and his team at work have been developing, allows people to swap bodies. The first time he swaps his friends around, it only lasts a few seconds to give them an idea of what this suitcase can do. Once they realize what this is, and that it’s real, Forbes lays down the rules of the game – swap bodies, and then try and figure out who is in whose body. If you can guess someone right, then that person is out.

So, What Is the Real Significance of the Suitcase?

With any group that has history, there are always going to be complicated emotions and dynamics involved. And with the introduction of the ability to swap bodies with one another, all of those complications boil to the surface. With each round of the game and each new swap, the friends start to find freedom in being able to do what they want without fear of consequences. When you’re wearing the mask of someone else’s face, you don’t have to worry about the repercussions of your decisions. You don’t even have to worry about anyone finding out if you’re careful.

As the game continues, viewers watch as the relationships within the group start to degrade and the group itself begins to fracture. Friendships are tested, old crushes and romantic feelings are allowed to resurface, and some people get to see what other members of the group really think or feel about them. The group’s dynamics continue to crumble until a fatal accident occurs and two of the friends die in an unexpected and dramatic way, while the group is still swapped. This leaves two of the friends gone, and another two without bodies to swap back into.

With this new crisis, the group has to decide what they’re going to do – if they’re all going to swap back, and if they do, what the two people without their own bodies are going to do. This leads to further fighting, unpleasant revelations, and the group finally completely falling apart. By swapping bodies and putting on the facades of others, everyone’s true natures are revealed, and who they really are is revealed to themselves and each other.

The revelations of how it all ends are shocking, and although some viewers might be able to guess some parts of the conclusion, they probably won’t be able to predict everything about the ending. It’s What’s Inside is a wild, unpredictable journey and proves to be a rather outstanding first entry in Jardin’s portfolio as a film director. It’s definitely a thriller worth checking out this Halloween season if you’re looking for something fun and darkly humorous. Stream on Netflix.