“He was a libra moon”
I loved Rachel Sennott in Shiva Baby and am totally not surprised that she completely stole the show here. She made what might be cringey or forced “youth” dialogue flow so effortlessly, and landing all her comedic beats, that’s it’s genuinely hard not to walk away from this film without thinking she’s a star.
What’s ingenious about the writing as a whole in the film is that is filled with Gen Z slang that feels natural. In other features that attempt to be a commentary on young people today, the writing comes off as either an attack on Gen Z or misuses the language to the point where it doesn’t feel authentic at all. There’s still a critical element to the vapid dialogue, that feels almost performative, but this comes from juxtaposing this meaningless way of speaking against the scenes of brutal murder. When someone says they’re an ally a few minutes after someone is murdered it kind of loses meaning.
The dialogue is really sold by the incredible ensemble cast. Sennott kills every line, but honestly so does everyone else. They’re all able to balance this very fine line between drama and comedy that is incredibly impressive and helps create this masterful tone that gives the film its unique feeling.
Thematically is where this film shines for me. Using the game Bodies Bodies Bodies to mirror the Gen Z experience is genius. While the film does like to poke fun at the youth today, I honestly think the film actually wants to sympathise with us. The world we’ve grown up in has facilitated this idea that we’re all truly isolated. If we make one mistake or misstep slightly then that can mean immediate social isolation. So to protect ourselves it’s easier to always be guarded and to think that everything is an attack on you.
The film centres around a group of “friends” but it’s clear from the first scene that everyone is solely looking out for themselves. As the film progresses this idea of mistrust deepens ever further and then when all is revealed, the film just beautifully comes together. It’s a critique of how narcissistic and self-centred we are, how our society has turned into one of performative empathy, but also posits a reason why and tries to garner an understanding of how this could be.
The layers of social commentary this film manages to achieve while still being hilarious is a feat of filmmaking. Yes there’s the wider themes of youth culture now, but even small details like when they speak about the order of who dies in the game and in reality, how that relates to the way society and Twitter culture treats gender and the divisions between them is just so smart.
Technically it pushes the boundaries as well for a single location film. Having the entire second half being essentially lit by phone screens and glow sticks was such a cool design choice. Really hope this gets the praise it deserves, one of the most unique and well written satires that is a hilarious critique of our generation.
★★★★1/2
