The lip-locking close-up is the first photo of Sophie (played by Amandla Stenberg) and her girlfriend of six weeks, Bea (Maria Bakalova). Sophie, who seems to have stepped out of the pages of her fairy tale, confesses her love to Bea, who lies in a green meadow surrounded by nature. Within seconds, that affectionate scene is replaced by shots of the two of her preoccupied with cellphones.
These juxtaposed moments in the new satirical slasher “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” demonstrate the inability of Generation Z characters to establish meaningful connections when the blinding screen forms a dazzling barrier. ridicule Stenberg explained in a video call.
it is one of several ways the film — about a group of privileged, internet-hungry twentysomethings stuck at a house party — seeks to paint a portrait of a generation born within the years before and after the millennium. As such, the film forces its characters to consider their non-digital identities, teasing their symbiotic relationships with mobile phones, trauma-based jargon, and the tyrannical power of group chats.
as a director Halina Rain “When the Wi-Fi goes out, it’s like the oxygen is gone,” he said in a video call.
Upon arriving at the isolated mansion, Sophie, Bee and their friends play Body, Body, Body, a party game involving a mysterious killer that players must identify and vote for in each round. . However, when a power outage occurs during a hurricane, real objects start falling. According to Reijn, the characters’ behavior has become beastly and they forget how to respond to crises cut off from the digital world.
“We can live completely in the face of death, but we can talk about things that aren’t that important, but are very big for us,” Reijn said, adding, “Of course it’s funny. I think it’s tragic at the same time,” he added.
Star of “”, StenbergThe Hate You Give‘ and the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ series ‘Acolyteserved as the film’s Executive Producer, drawing on her own experience with the digital life. She said screenwriter Sara Delappe (playwright known for “Wolves”) incorporated a very witty script into the script to make it easy to create moments of hypocrisy and vanity. rice field. “The point is not to say Gen Z is not intelligent or sophisticated, but to comment on how ridiculous the situation is,” Stenberg said. (DeLappe was not available for comment.)
In those moments, childhood friends and partygoers playfully shoot TikToks to the anthem of Tyga Curtis Roach.bored at homeraves about social media likes.
Generation Z relies heavily on the digital space for self-expression, community building, and news gathering, but they also face cognitive dissonance as they try to stay present in their virtual lives and in reality. Stenberg points out. In fact, says Sarah Bishop, Professor of Communication Studies at Baruch College: It’s like asking them to imagine living without solids.
Alice, played by Rachel Sennot (“Shiva Baby”), invites her 40-year-old Tinder match, Greg (Lee Pace), to a house party. In Reijn’s view, Greg acts as a bridge for older viewers. He tries to learn the rules of the game, but uses sports analogies his father might use, such as “the best defense is a good offense”, only to embarrass the young crew. For his Reijn, 46, his Gen X, Greg represents a personal separation from his Gen Z.
Still, Reijn wanted the film to be realistic, honest, and funny. Because when online use engulfs self-awareness, each character shares a primal urge to belong.
“I think we all live in very narcissistic times because we’re always in front of the camera,” she said. But that’s certainly unprecedented, isn’t it? Normally it was just actors and musicians, but now it’s all of us.”
Despite the physical dangers each character faces, their virtual reality remains at the center of the plot. (Chase Sui Wonders) yells that her boyfriend, David (Pete Davidson), is gaslighting her. David’s answer: The words were meaningless and all she did was read the internet. more original.
Overuse of trauma-centric jargon, such as “gaslight,” “trigger,” “toxic,” and “narcissist,” can devalue language from its original value, Wanders said.
“I think Gen Z has a great way of tackling words.
Viewers can’t help but laugh at the misery of the friends as they take an emotional stab at each other. Sophie erupts about the double standards between black and white drug users, but instead of acknowledging the divide, Alice responds, “I’m on my side.” Or when Jordan (Myha’la Herrold) asks Sophie about ghosting her group chat, she replies, “You trigger me.” Herold, who declared this to be her favorite scene, said the cast edited and rewrote the sequence at midnight to make sure it remained relevant.
“A lot of the Gen Z language, like ‘gaslighting,’ and some of it was cut, but it was like, ‘No, we don’t have to stay here,’” says Herrold.
‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ is one of A24’s many films that seek to capture a generation. Think “Spring Breakers” and “Lady Bird” before that. This time, it epitomizes egoism, to the tune of Charli XCX’s “Hot Girl.” Post, reply, repeat.
This includes group chats. A chat that rivals the clique at a high school lunch table determines who joins your friend group and who doesn’t. These chats have political implications, and the house turns hostile when Sophie joins the party without properly announcing the chat first.
“I’ve been in a group of friends before where there was a lot of uproar when someone was removed from a group chat or someone was added,” she said.
From digital media addiction to engaging group chats, says Stenberg.
“We need to think carefully and intentionally about how these tools can bring out and amplify the scariest parts of us,” she said.
