Bodies Bodies Bodies review

[Spoiler free]

I went into Bodies Bodies Bodies completely unaware of what this film would be about. I didn’t look at any reviews, summaries, or posts about it, so I went in without knowing what the fuck would be going on and I’m glad that I did. Bodies Bodies Bodies is a neo-liberal Gen Z re-imagining of classic whodunits. The film is filled with a cast of social commentators directly from a Twitter thread. The hyper feminist dialogue is used tongue-in-cheek making the film a slight satire of neo-liberal viral talking points from Twitter and Tik-Tok.

The satire in the film is more poking fun than scathing. The film does criticize the reductive nature of much of the White Feminist social media commentary that is popular on Twitter but which doesn’t translate well into real life dialogue. Much of these neo-liberal/white feminist or “woke” (I hate that word but I need you to pick up what I’m putting down) dialogue pulled from social media lacks real life nuance and comes off tone deaf and vapid when used by the characters.

The film shows the ridiculousness of these talking points when used in real life, criticizing characters for regurgitating dialogue without the awareness of its applicability, or lack thereof, of what they’re saying. The film is also a black comedy and even when it’s suspenseful, never let’s its foot completely off the humor pedal. The balance between mystery/suspense/black comedy is balanced beautifully.

The film is legitimately suspenseful and throughout I found myself earnestly trying to figure out who the killer would be. On figuring out who the killer is – the film stars Amandla Stenberg as Sophie, a troubled young woman who has spent time in drug rehab and is estranged from her friends. In tow with her is Sophia’s girlfriend, Bee. Sophia and her friends ranger from upper middle class to wealthy, where Bee is from a working class Eastern European family.

Sophia and Bee are headed to a mansion for a “hurricane party”. There we meet David, the neurotic owner of the home who is played by Pete Davidson. David’s girlfriend is an actress named Emma (Chase Sui Wonders). The rest of the group is Alice played by Rachel Sennot, who is a podcaster, her older boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace), and the hostile Jordan (Myha’la Herrold).

After introductions, the hurricane starts and the group settles inside where they drink, do cocaine, and start to party. Eventually a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies starts. I had actually never heard of this game before and this is a big part of my confusion on not knowing what this film would be about. To put it simply, it’s a murder-in-the-dark style game where one person is secretly the killer and they “kill” the other players. The game goes completely off the rails and they end up stopping prematurely after a passive-aggressive argument starts.

Soon after this the bodies, pun intended start to drop. Each death happens off-screen and doesn’t give an indication of which character is the killer. I never had an idea on what the fuck was happening which significantly adds to the mystery and the suspense. The group becomes increasingly more chaotic as the death count increases, making the film fun. The remaining members alternate taking turns turning on one another, simultaneously bringing up dirty on each other, making the film messy like the best of trash reality tv.

As arguments ensue over who did what, the dialogue really starts to shine. This is where the film really stakes its place as a modern film. Criticisms are levied by characters on the weaponization of mental health as a defensive mechanism to skirt accountability. There are also arguments on the lack of accountability of drug misuse, the use of vapid progressive rhetoric, infidelity, and disingenuous friendships. All of these topics are highly relevant modern discussions.

Bodies Bodies Bodies feels like a 2022 film. It’s heavily influenced by Tik-Tok, Twitter, modern liberal talking points, and social commentary. This is a highly engaging film that millennials, and Gen Zers, especially, will not only enjoy, but it will also resonate with.

----8.1/10