Body (2015 American film)

Body is a 2015 American thriller film written and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen in their directorial debut. It stars Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, Lauren Molina, and Larry Fessenden. During a wild night of partying, three women realize that they have gotten into more trouble than they expected. Body premiered on January 25, 2015, at the Slamdance Film Festival.

Body
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Dan Berk
  • Robert Olsen
Produced by
  • Dan Berk
  • Robert Olsen
  • Chadd Harbord
  • Bryan Gaynor
  • Michael W. Gray
Written by
  • Dan Berk
  • Robert Olsen
Starring
Music byLuke Allen
CinematographyMatt Mitchell
Edited byBryan Gaynor
Production
company
  • Last Pictures
  • Smiley Ball Films
Distributed byOscilloscope Laboratories
Release date
  • January 25, 2015 (2015-01-25) (SFF)[1]
  • December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11) (United States; limited)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,634[2][3]

Plot

Holly, Cali, and Mel become bored when they return home for the holidays. Cali convinces the others that they should go to her uncle's house, where they can party. In the house, however, Holly finds evidence that leads her to believe that Cali is unrelated to the owners. When she confronts Cali, Cali admits that they have broken into a house owned by a couple for whom she used to babysit. Holly and Mel insist that they leave, but before they can, Arthur, the groundskeeper surprises them. After a brief scuffle, Arthur falls down a staircase, apparently dead. The women panic and decide to cover up the accident. When Arthur turns out to not be dead after all, the friends disagree on how to proceed.

Cast
  • Helen Rogers as Holly
  • Alexandra Turshen as Cali
  • Lauren Molina as Mel
  • Adam Cornelius as Ben
  • Larry Fessenden as Arthur

Production

The film was written to take advantage of the filmmakers' available resources. The conception was always a genre film, but the story went through many permutations before Berk and Olsen were satisfied. The role of Holly was written for Rogers, with whom the writer-directors had worked previously. Molina was recommended by one of the producers, and Turshen was cast after extensive auditions. Influences included Shallow Grave, The Shining, Funny Games, and Wolf Creek. Shooting took place during March 2014 in Westport, Connecticut.[1] The characters represent Sigmund Freud's model of the id, ego, and superego. They were designed to show the various ways someone could react to the dilemmas in the film.[4]

Response

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 42% based on 19 reviews, and an average rating of 6/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote that the film fails to rise above its unoriginal premise.[7] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "an occasionally involving low-budget thriller that’s too often less than thrilling".[8] Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Morbidly entertaining and emotionally honest, Body is one helluva debut for Dan Berk and Robert Olsen."[9] Jess Hicks, also writing for Bloody Disgusting, rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that too much time was given to character development that needed better writing.[10] Kevin Jagernauth of IndieWire rated it B− and wrote that the film "succeeds on its own very modest terms" due to its focus on characterization.[11]

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References
  1. Kay, Jeremy (2015-01-15). "Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, Body". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  2. "Body". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  3. "Body". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  4. Albrizio, Lianna (2014-12-18). "'Body' to make its world premiere at Slamdance fest". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  5. "Body (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  6. "Body Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  7. Harvey, Dennis (2015-01-25). "Slamdance Film Review: 'Body'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  8. Lowe, Justin (2015-01-25). "'Body': Slamdance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  9. Cooper, Patrick (2015-01-25). "[Slamdance '15 Review] 'Body' Is a Morbidly Satisfying Thriller". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  10. Hicks, Jess (2015-01-27). "[Slamdance '15 Review] 'Body' Isn't Your Normal Girl's Night Out". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  11. Jagernauth, Kevin (2015-01-30). "Slamdance Review: Thriller Tries To Hide The 'Body'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
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