Bodies Bodies Bodies is like sticking your fingers into a light socket only your fingers are your eyes and the light socket is a movie.
Build Back Better (AKA Bx3) was a movie I narrowly missed. After years of self-isolating, approximately six minutes of human contact with the outside world led to my complete and utter destruction as a human being and the cancellation of a movie date. I probably would have taken it as a sign and moved on, except for a chance text from Friend who said, “This was my favorite movie of the year. It just roasts Generation Z.” Which intrigued me, because I also fashion myself as a fan of the Gen Z roast as much as the next millennial. In many ways, Bodies conjures for me the ghost of another Gen Z, high school caper, instant classic, none other than Assassination Nation, directed by one Sam Levinson of Euphoria (in)fam(y)e.
The dialogue of this film is saturated with Gen Z speak, replete with the sounds of identity politics gone haywire, Girls-grade misappropriated language around privilege, the victimhood of the upper middle class, opportunistic intersectionalism. Director Halina Reijn has left so many weird details and sideways glances and strange behaviors in this film that have made me think, Huh, yeah, that was extra fucked up considering, for literally days after having seen this. I am inclined to include this weird, reactionary, completely unhinged caper in the list of bonding movies you dig up when you are courting new friends.
