In “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a dysfunctional group of rich kids who have long outgrown each other hole up in one of their parents’ mansions during a hurricane. When they’ve had enough of getting crossed and making TikToks, they turn to an old pastime: a Mafia-like game called “Bodies Bodies Bodies”That always ends with hurt feelings and tears. This time, though, the stakes aren’t just emotional: after the power cuts out, actual bodies begin to drop. Inside one of these chronically-online narcissists lurks a killer – who could it be?
If that synopsis makes the film seem difficult to categorize, it’s by design. “When [writer Sarah DeLappe] and I started to work together, we both felt that the biggest mistake you can make with a group film – and especially the slasher, or whatever genre you want to call this – is to have all the cliches,”Halina Reijn, director, said during an interview with “Of course, we wanted it to be genuine and interesting, sexy and strange and dark.”
Beyond the bloody scares that are part and parcel of any horror film, Reijn was most interested in her characters’ dark inner lives, giving them the capacity to do horrible things. “I’m way more interested in the demon inside of us than the demon outside of [us],”She continued.
Reijn was inspired by the outdoors during the creative process. “language-heavy”Plays by Shakespeare and Chekhov as well as a variety of other films.
These seven movies have had a profound influence on me, according to “Bodies Bodies Bodies.”
Clue (1985).
With “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “we wanted to make our own modern version of ‘Clue,’” Reijn said. Reijn said. ‘80s film based on the board game of the same name is equal parts black comedy and whodunit. Six strangers are drawn to a secluded New England mansion by a shadowy man who knows their worst secrets. Each guest gets a weapon and a nickname: Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet, naturally. But when the blackmailer turns up dead, it appears there’There is a murderer among them. Before they can become victims, they must find out who it is.
The cult classic lives on through the panic-stricken, outsized characters in “Bodies Bodies Bodies,”But even more so during its construction. “On a technical level, [“Bodies Bodies Bodies”] is a puzzle,” Reijn said. However, “Clue”Three different endings were possible, which was a clever gimmick. “Bodies”Be wise.
Heathers (1989).
“Heathers”This is the perfect example of privileged, pitch-black mean girl humor. In the film that helped propel her to stardom, Winona Ryder plays the savvy Veronica Sawyer, who teams up with a psychopathic bad boy (Christian Slater) to take down her high school’s ruling clique. The film mines much of its humor from the characters’ ignorance and vanity, especially in contrast with Veronica, making her a surrogate for the audience.
Her “Bodies” counterpart is Bee (Maria Bakalova), a young immigrant woman who sticks out like a sore thumb among her new girlfriend Sophie’s (Amandla Stenberg) wealthy friends. More of an outsider than Veronica ever was, her introverted personality and working class background throw the others’ into even sharper relief.
The Social Network (2010)
Reijn cites the same thing. “The Social Network” as an inspiration – particularly, the acerbic opening scene in which Erica (Rooney Mara) and Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) argue at a local bar. “They speak on so many levels,” Reijn said of Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-winning dialogue. “And that’s what all these young people do a lot.”
There’s something particularly American (and Sorkin-esque) about the breathless pace at which the characters rattle off insults, both veiled and direct. In “Bodies,” Bee – who is neither American nor a native English speaker – can’t keep up. Reijn emphasized her outsider status by getting her an older, cheaper cell phone. “She’s the metaphor for that feeling, my personal feeling, of being an alien and thinking that you don’t really belong,” Reijn added.
Directed and directed by David Fincher “The Social Network”This documentary chronicles the birth of Facebook from its inception at Harvard to its rapid success and the losses that Zuckerberg suffered. A Shakespearean tale of greed and betrayal, the film is widely considered to be Sorkin’s best.
Children (1995)
Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s portrait of ‘90s youth culture was another muse. The coming-of-age film stars Leo Fitzpatrick, Chloe Sevigny, Justin Pierce and Rosario Dawson in their acting debuts as a ragtag group of teens bumming around New York City. Taking place over the course of a single day, the teens engage in sex, drugs, drinking and casual crime. “Bodies” doesn’It is not possible to share too much with “Kids”Both are keen to see how young people communicate and entertain each other, regardless of their tone or structure.
Don’s Plum (2001)
Tobey Maguire, Kevin Connolly and Leonardo DiCaprio star in this famous independent film about a group twenty-somethings who meet at a diner called “Don’s Plum.”This loosely structured drama shows a single night of friendship between female friends. It was largely improvised and shot over a few days in 1996 on a very low budget.
What is the most fascinating thing about “Don’s Plum”It is illegal in Canada and the United States. After DiCaprio blew up in the mid-’90s, he along with Maguire and other young male stars were deemed the “Pussy Posse”They were known for their extravagant lifestyle. In 1998, producer David Stuntman sued DiCaprio and Maguire for suppressing the film’s release because they worried it would “reveal personal experiences or tendencies.”They settled down, “Don’s Plum”In 2001, it was briefly made accessible in Germany. Dale Wheatley, writer-producer, has launched the website. “Free Don’s Plum,”He receives requests for links to the movie.
“I recommend everybody watch [“Don’s Plum”],” Reijn said. “It is a wonderful film, and it is so genuine and so authentic and so beautiful. That was a huge inspiration for me. I also used that when I talked to A24 [about ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’].”
Isabelle Huppert’s films (1972-1983)
Reijn suggested that her actors study the works of Isabelle Huppert, the famous French actress, in preparation for the role. “Bodies.” “I would always wear a T-shirt with her name on it just to make them aware,”She remembered.
Huppert is the proud owner of nearly 150 credits. Huppert’s most famous work is “The Piano Teacher,” “The Lacemaker,” “Violette Nozière,” “La Séparation,” “8 Women” “Elle,”For which she was nominated for the Academy Award.
“I think it’s really interesting sometimes to be like Isabelle Huppert, who just says, ‘I go to zero,’” Reijn continued. “Instead of thinking, ‘Who am I? Where am I going?’ just react. Just say your lines and react to the other one. Especially nowadays, where we all grew up in front of a camera, it’s kind of interesting to think that it’s not about you, but about the other. And so I think Isabelle Huppert is the master of that. No ego.”
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) – and all Cassevetes films
The group dynamics “Bodies”They can take inspiration from John Cassavetes films. Reijn specifically used the spaghetti scene as an inspiration. “A Woman Under the Influence,”The 1974 film starred Gena Rowlands as well as Peter Falk. Mabel (Rowlands), a woman trying to hide her growing mental illness from Nick (Falk), and his working class friends, is seen in the scene.
Group scenes are featured in the films of the iconoclastic writer/director. “always flow,”Reijn explained the process to her cast.
She also made notes about his approach towards collaboration. “Cassavetes wrote down the scripts, but he also gave [his actors] space to be free and bring their own input.”
Cassavetes and other inspirations aside, it’s all about making something new at the end of the day. “Always really try to make your own film,” Reijn advised. “Let all of it go. Whatever this is, this should be a unique little work of art itself.”
“Bodies Bodies Bodies”It opens nationwide in selected theaters August 5th.