Sometimes it’s on the outside what matters, but for Sundance breakout film “It’s What’s Inside,” writer-director Greg Jardin wanted to dismantle the aesthetics of a porn-fueled social media world.
Jardin’s feature debut thriller became the biggest sale of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival so far after Netflix acquired the feature for $17 million. The movie follows the fallout of a rehearsal dinner that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.
During the IndieWire Studio at Sundance, presented by Dropbox, Jardin explained how the film is uniquely relevant to the intersection of sex and modern technology.
“At the core, the movie is sort of about the male gaze and the effect of the over-sexualization of media and our consumption of that, how that affects relationships,” Jardin said. “It’s something I’ve thought a lot about in my adult life.”
Jardin cited the role of porn in his own personal life, saying, “It’s just sort of this thing that we don’t really think about that much and it’s considered taboo to even talk about, but porn is a billion dollar industry. I just thought about how it’s affected my relationships and how sometimes I’ve ignored people for things that aren’t really real and how I don’t want to do that anymore…It makes people desire something that’s not even real.”
Actor James Morosini added that “It’s What’s Inside” led to him confronting the “uncomfortable” aspects of himself that he even tries to “hide” away. The surreal and yet harrowingly relatable script, according to Morosini, captures a sad universal truth amongst all of its twists.
“It’s like a Rubix cube of complexity,” Morosini said of Jardin’s screenplay. “For me this movie is about how much we compare ourselves to everybody else and how sometimes the last person we want to be is ourselves, and ultimately learning how to fully commit to that. There’s this wonderful emotional depth to this fun thrill-ride.”
Check out the full interview above to hear David Thompson tease his character’s twisted reveal.
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival runs January 18 to 28, with festival talks taking place January 19 to 26. See all the videos published so far from the IndieWire Studio at Sundance, presented by Dropbox, here.
Dropbox supports and champions independent makers, crews, and teams behind the camera who bring their unique perspectives to life at the Sundance Film Festival. We’re proud that over 60% of films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival leveraged Dropbox in their filmmaking process.It takes a monumental effort for film projects to go from ideation to completion, and Dropbox is dedicated to helping filmmakers get their projects across the finish line faster. Filmmakers used Dropbox as one organized homebase to keep video files secure, to remotely collaborate with teams around the world, and to get real-time video feedback with Dropbox Replay.
