User Reviews

I was skeptical at first. Prepared to be entertained with a film that "was about him." After about 30 minutes, I thought "This film isn't about him, it's about them." It hit me hard when I realized, that ultimately, it was about me...and you. Beautifully shot and expertly crafted, Mr. Renner invites you on a difficult journey of his own self-discovery, introduces you to sympathetic "real" people who are genuine and disarming with their vulnerability as they share their own stories of trauma, all while real professionals provide context for the experience. By the end, the viewer is left with questions about their own journey, but with tangible solutions they can take with them should they choose to begin their own quest for healing. As a lifelong educator, I fully endorse this beautiful film and urge those who work with broken people to add it to their tool kit.

What Lies Inside is a beautifully shot documentary that opened my eyes to the trauma so many are living with. It unexpectedly triggered emotions in me that I hadn't felt in years and helped push me to take that first step to healing. What Lies Inside has a powerful message that - given the state of our world - needs to be seen. A truly informational documentary with some amazingly powerful voices!

Sometimes the artist doesn't know what the picture will be until the final stroke of their brush. Similarly, this film will take you on a journey to what looks like a predictable end, but instead, the director's stunningly visual sleight of hand redirects the trip into unexpected, beautiful depths. Whether you are a victim of trauma or not, you need to see this film, because someone in your life needs you to watch. For the traumas in the past, for the traumas we may be experiencing now, and for the traumas yet to come, we need this to learn how to love our neighbors and ourselves. I will watch again, and encourage my friends, family and strangers to do the same.

What a stunning piece of film art with an incredibly important message. Thank you for making this film. I am a marriage and family therapy student at a seminary and plan to share this with my professors and student colleagues. It's so beautifully done, the cinematography is absolutely stunning, and it is relevant to not only my studies, but to the current climate of our world. Outstanding work, crew!

What Lies Inside is one of those productions which for a while after you've been lucky enough to watch it- you're speechless. Whether it has upset you, inspired you, educated you - or all three, it's impossible not to deeply reflect on what you've just seen. This documentary truly is one of a kind!

Watching this movie gave me a different perspective into what people with trauma go through. It's raw and vulnerable and real. The movie gives tangible ways to help you walk through your trauma journey. Very enlightening!

"What Lies Inside" is an incredibly personal, artful, and deeply helpful exploration of trauma. As someone who lives with trauma myself (and works with a community of highly traumatized minorities), I am deeply grateful for this film. While it shouldn't be viewed lightly, it should be watched widely.

As a teacher in an urban school district where almost every child has been subjected to trauma in some form, I am thrilled to see this taboo issue explored with such intimate integrity. Director Luke Renner blends emotion, personal struggle and science perfectly to tell a human story, that until now, we have been afraid to face. Every educator who believes in being "Trauma Informed" should make this film a part of their professional development and SEL teaching.

With as traumatizing as this year has been, it's important for us all to recognize our collective traumas and mental anguishes. This film is able to remarkably take you through the inner workings of our own mind from someone who underwent a journey of their own throughout. It is remarkable to see the audience character also be the narrator and as Luke goes through his own journey, we do as well.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I viewed this documentary. What I realized after watching it was that there are so many people walking around dealing with trauma of some kind, and some who don't even realize it themselves. It was beautifully explored and written and will lend itself well to helping those in need of discovering and healing from their own traumas.

This film is life changing, very educational and beautifully filmed. Even if you think you know about trauma, it's worth watching for a deeper, more personal, more complex view of how trauma impacts us each uniquely, and powerfully.

As a licensed psychologist and professor of graduate counseling, I will be recommending this documentary to the future therapists I work with, and to clients who struggle with putting together the puzzle of their pasts. Trauma is not stored in our brains like other pleasant or boring events, it is often stored in the body. Knowing this helps immensely with the healing process.

Be sure you keep watching all the way through the movie, even if you struggle to relate at the beginning with the first individual story; the message expands as it progresses, and I encourage you to take the entire journey...the end is worth it!

The variety of trauma experts and survivors interviewed in this film enrich and heighten the experience. You'll have an understanding of trauma usually reserved for experts in the field, because you'll be exposed to so many of them, with helpful narrative examples to understand more difficult concepts.

Enjoy the film. For many of us, What Lies Inside is asking to be seen, understood, digested and processed as a part of our unique life histories. It's well worth the time.

This film artfully explains the ways trauma can be seen in our lives, and how it isn't always clear where it originated. I appreciated the writer's candor, and the way he tells the story of discovery for himself. If you have ever wondered why you seek approval from others more than trusting in yourself, this movie can provide insights that open the door to continue your own journey of understanding.

As a retired Army Flight Surgeon with 4 conflict deployments this documentary spoke directly to the parts of me that I have felt so misunderstood. This documentary allowed me to realize that I wasn't alone and in my internal struggles, and that trauma is so diverse and impacts so many levels of humanity. Bravo to director and producers of this truly timely documentary. This is truly one of the most misunderstood issue of our current culture.

What Lies Inside Review for IMDB

I heard about this movie from a friend, and I got a chance to see an early screening of it. I'll be honest, and I hadn't given trauma much thought. We all have hard things in life, and I was raised to deal with my feelings, be honest with myself, and move on with life.

I was unprepared for the journey this movie would take me on as the presenter Luke, shares his story. As the film unfolds, and I learned more about how trauma impacts all of our lives, memories started to surface.

I became aware of issues from my past that trauma had caused and that was affecting me now. I realized that there was more to my journey than I had thought. I also felt like I had the chance to see issues in my life and filter them through the awareness of trauma and the impact it has had on my life.

I study martial arts, and my instructor loves to give us lists. I once asked him why, and he told me that a list helps us become aware of the components needed to learn a technique. A list also gives us a way to evaluate which parts we know and are competent in performing and which parts we still need to be proficient. If I didn't have the list, I wouldn't know what was required. I wouldn't have the ability to self-evaluate where I was on my journey to proficiency.

That's the way this movie felt for me. This movie gave me a list, it helped me become more self-aware, and I believe it improved my life. I will be a better person because I am now more aware of the pieces of the puzzle that make up my life.

The movie is filmed well, and the audio and narration are excellent. While the subject matter is serious, the movie is presented well and kept my attention. I watched it all in one sitting, but I feel like this is a movie I will want to own. I believe that I will benefit from going back and watching this again.

When you get a chance, check out What Lies Inside, come in with an open mind, and be prepared to learn about trauma and about its impact on all of our lives. Be ready to be changed, but in a good way. I'm grateful for the time and effort a movie like this must have required, and I'm grateful for the lives that it will impact.

What Lies Inside beautifully and lovingly takes a deep dive into understanding how traumatic events impact people. Filmmaker Luke Renner and other brave individuals share how their lives have been disrupted by trauma. You may even find yourself looking in the mirror, needing to delve deeper into your own subconscious or to forgive. Thankfully, Renner also keys into the latest healing modalities from the world's top trauma researchers; Bessel Van Der Kolk, Peter Levine, Dan Siegel and Kerry-Ann Williams.

First of all this film is visually stunning. Very well crafted. I believe everyone will walk away from this film with a new understanding of their past behavior. Love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness are the hallmarks of this movie. I believe just about everyone has experienced some form of trauma during their life. This film does a great job explaining what trauma is and the various levels and ways we experience it individually.

The honesty, content, practical application and beautiful message woven thought the fit is an essential for Parents, educators and anyone working with people. What Lies inside allows the viewer access to truths many have not been able to put words to but have definitely experienced. The sheer weight of the professional support shown by the interviews with arguably the foremost authorities on Trauma currently, give this master class such relevance authority. We should all watch and we should encourage everyone we know to do the same. Today more than ever, we need this film.

This captivating film held my attention from the very first frame. It's beautifully written, shot, directed and edited. Several times I was moved to tears and I remember every single one of those moments. This film stays with you. It causes you to examine your own life and makes you want to live more fully, to heal completely and to love everyone you meet. We belong here, in this world, in this life. We are the agents of compassion, healing and justice. This film has an important message that everyone should hear. Everyone deserves healing. Thank you Luke.

This film makes you think. It helps you realize the traumas and mental frustrations you experience could very well be caused by what you have experienced that you simply pushed down deep inside you. Our reactions to situations have a lot to do with our experience and this film allows you to see how it can manifest when you least expect it. This is a film I feel is critical for all adults to watch but especially younger adults who are trying to figure themselves out. Watching Luke and hearing others in the film discuss their traumas allows you to understand yourself better.

After watching this powerful documentary, I began to realize that most, if not all of us have been damaged by life in some way or another. As a childhood trauma survivor, I've had the benefit of support from friends and therapy, but still exhibited behaviors I didn't fully understand. This movie, carefully and artfully done, presents survivors who, like me, are finding their way to health, and professionals who help us understand why help is so important.

This is an important film that deserves to be available for viewing by all, and I encourage anyone who knows a trauma victim to watch it with them.

A "must see" for parents, especially!

What Lies Inside is an incredible story of trauma and healing told in a most beautiful way. Sweeping cinematography and intimate portraits will keep you emotionally engaged for the entire film. It covers a wide range of trauma-related topics and brings them to life in a way that is easy to understand, friendly, and familiar. It feels like a wise old friend sharing hard-earned wisdom and I expert to return to it again and again.

If you are seeking to understand your personal trauma or increase your own awareness to how trauma impacts us all, this film is a great resource.

Luke's personal transparency draws you in to the exploration of personal trauma. Paired with other persons willing to share their stories and professional voices, one cannot help but become better acquainted with the impact trauma and traumatic events have on people.

If you are involved in any type of work that provides care of persons, this is a most see and encounter. Not only for the potential of personal discovery, but also to create better awareness and equipping.

I viewed on my own, I would really enjoy and recommend viewing with a group, especially one that would create the space for dialogue. Likely taking place over a couple sessions.