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The film opens with the camera zoomed in on two women smooching, fully engrossed in one another, completely oblivious to what is happening around them.
This kiss is sensual, alive, desperate, and markedly immodest, which serves as the director Halina Reijn’s promise of what to expect from the exceptionally vibrant scene in “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” Discovering that she fulfilled her promise through her survive-the-night mystery with a twist is a thrill of its own. Unlike other movies, this one is filled with the social anxieties exemplified in “Knives Out” and the uncomfortable, but bold, character development seen throughout the film without avoiding the topic of the personalities being deeply flawed.
This generosity is definitely a risky venture here. The screenplay by Sarah DeLappe (based on a story by Kristen Roupenian, who wrote the New Yorker’s short fiction Cat Person), doesn’t exactly provide a very sympathetic ensemble. Amandla Sternberg and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” breakout Maria Bakalova portray the eponymous sniggers Sophie and Bee, who are the first two of the bunch that we get introduced to. With very little fragments provided, we glean that they are in a relatively new relationship and are attending a house party at the mansion of their very rich friend David’s (the slightly goofy Pete Davidson) which is hosted by Sophie’s best, longtime friend. Quite the mix would be Pete’s posey girlfriend Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), the competitive go-getter Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), and the fiery easy standout of the cast in the form of Rachel Sennott (“Shiva Baby”) as the hilariously dimwitted podcaster who can afford to speak even less. Among all the other twentysomethings, Alice’s much older partner Greg (Lee Pace) stands out. The peculiar 40-year-old.
Save for the humble Bee, these people are painfully rich, as you can tell. Still, their immense wealth can’t hide the deeply rooted pettiness that exists within their social hierarchy. When Sophie and Bee step foot into the grand mansion, grudges start to rear their ugly heads, much to everyone’s surprise. Why did Sophie not confirm her attendance at the group chat? Who is this Bee that she brought? Jordan’s animosity towards Bee stems from his ever-lingering feelings for Sophie, and Jordan seems particularly bitter. Looking back, it feels as if this group of people have created underlying beef against each other that is only rivaled by the perfect storm that looms very close, the one that transforms the house party filled with booze, drugs and children’s games into be played in the dark, into a real hurricane.
As the chief of the murder mystery games, Bodies Bodies Bodies takes place in an estate filled with even more room for debauchery. Soon enough, the group loses all sense of agency and starts to fall against the backdrop of alarmingly dreadful music and a raging storm. Reijn, working with “Monos” cinematographer Jasper Wolf, utilizes the vast assortment of dimly lit interiors of the house to its full value, elegantly weaving a series of heart-racing events and frights while sprinkling in some genuine humor. Every effective slasher, at least the good ones like the first “Scream” which lends quite a bit of its DNA to “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” is a dance between what the camera shows and what is concealed. A genre film expert, Reijn keeps you in the dark for a while, sometimes placing you in a position where you wish you could rewind to just a few seconds ago and see what you just witnessed again. (I hope it goes without saying, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is a phenomenal repeat viewing candidate once you know the reveal, and for that, there is the sensational ensemble cast to thank.)
As the visuals, so even the plausibility with which Reijn constructs the world of spoiled youngsters is equally successful.
Of course, words like “gaslighting” and “ally” are frequently used buzzwords among people who practically live on TikTok or other social media ports. However, in “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” these words combined bring so much meaning and significance to a script that works hard to display its characters not as strawmen but as actual genuine members of Gen Z. To begin with, their organic chemistry so that you might be left wondering how well do you know them. (Let’s not kid ourselves; the ensemble is truly marvelous.) Moments later, you will definitely find yourself pondering if you missed something previously, as one does even with close friends from time to time.
The fun part is, that your struggle is completely shared by the entire cast of players, who relentlessly try to uncover the mystery of who the murderer is while being surrounded by complex dynamics like gender, age, class, and deep-rooted insecurities. Even if it starts slowing down ever so slightly with the tempo towards the end, it’s quite a ride. It’s the kind of stuff fun summer entertainment should be composed of.
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