Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

One cannot talk about what makes Bodies Bodies Bodies great without spoiling it. Because it's the ending. The film saves the "punchline" for the last shot and it's a good one. One could talk about the film's clever plotting of the famous And Then There Were None tropes, the strong cast's great performances, and how beautifully Reign films her story despite it being mostly in the dark without spoiling anything. But it is the way the film plays with our expectations and through that offering a prescient critique of privilege culture which make it so fascinating. And to understand that you have to know the ending. 

So if you haven't seen it just know it's well worth your time and stop reading here. 

*Spoilers*

The film plays a lot of cat and mouse with its audience giving us reason to suspect everyone and anyone. Each character is revealed to be dislikable in some way with reasons to want to lash out and hurt others for the own benefit. Bodies is set in the upper class world where our characters perform virtue but descend quickly into selfish and willfully blind behaviour. But the script is clever enough to actually give its characters real motivations as well as real opportunities to be the "bad guy" so figuring out the puzzle is confoundingly fun.

Which is why it is such a great reveal at the end when we realize there is no murderer. The deaths are all caused by the behaviour of the characters, not through any intent to kill. No one is stalking the others. But their choices, mostly grounded in self-serving acts, lead to accidental deaths one after another. And the panic that arises leads to more, becoming a self perpetuating cycle. 

And the film is saying that about us, especially those who live with privilege. We are often making choices and treat people in ways that lead to hurting ourselves. And then we look for who to blame, mostly pointing fingers at those who aren't responsible, ignoring our own complicity in the tragedies around us. 

And that is what makes the ending of Bodies Bodies Bodies so satisfying. That and the fact that even up to the end it's a tight, fun, film that entertains the brain and the heart. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Starring: Amanda Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Lee Pace, Pete Davidson

Director: Halina Reijn

Writer: Sarah DeLappe