[FANTASIA 2018] ‘BODIED’ Review

Urban definition of “bodied” – Slang for the act of being killed or murdered.

Battle rapping: it’s a thing that outside of 8 Mile hasn’t been really showcased to the greater cinematic world. It’s an underground scene; a whole different world that doesn’t abide by societal norms. In battling, nothing is off limit – destroy your opponent, no matter who or what gets thrown in as a result. Race, stereotypes, background, family, personal issues…anything goes. Bodied, which was produced by Eminem and directed by force of nature Joseph Kahn, is brutally violent and will have you covering your mouth and going “OOOOOHHH” along with the crowds gathered at the battles. Yet nobody dies. There’s no killer. There’s a few punches thrown, but nobody is eviscerated or decapitated. Kahn has discovered a new way of making an audience react the exact same way they would to a fun slasher — the audience claps when, in any other circumstance, they would be horrified. It’s called verbal violence.

[AdSense-A]

Adam (Calum Worthy) is a college student who is, for lack of a better term, a battle rap nerd. He takes his girlfriend Maya (Rory Uphold) to watch a battle and attempt to get Behn Grymm (Jackie Long) to assist him with his thesis that he’s basing on the art of battle rap and the use of the N-word and the role in the culture. Behn is highly regarded in the game, and while Adam is very well versed, Behn doesn’t fully commit until he puts Adam on the spot to eviscerate a cartoonishly ill-advised challenger for him. After a few failed lines, Adam suddenly realizes that he’s just as good at actually doing it as he is knowing about it. Behn decides to take him under his wing, and the further into the new world he gets the more his life changes, and he realizes that there’s a major culture clash with trying to live in the college life and be successful at battling. Who is Adam really, at his core?

Adam is a very interesting character, one that is used as a tool toward exposing everything right and wrong with the highly politically correct time we live in. It’s very modern, very current, and very prolific. The messages are powerful and plentiful, but a lot of it is basked in a thick layer of satire. The script is very funny and very clever. But Kahn makes the whole thing have a pulse so loud and bold that it’s almost too much to take in. Kahn is a prolific music video director, but is probably best known for the time-traveling-horror-comedy Detention (a favorite that’s a real love or hate situation). He also helmed a bonkers cult classic called Torque, and that “mature” Power Rangers short from a few years back. He’s a visual dynamo, and he makes every battle scene come to life with strange angles, POV, close-ups, visual quirks, and post-production added elements that accentuate the bars the rappers are spitting. It ends up feeling like a fight scene at times. If you’ve seen Detention, this film is shot and edited in a very similar fashion that makes it so that everything feels urgent and immersive, and a bit off-putting, in the best sense. The movie keeps you so alert that when the hits start coming, you start to feel them yourself.It should also be noted that Calum Worthy is a name which you will now want to know. His transformation is astounding, and the relationship and chemistry with the also excellent Jackie Long is one of the best things about the movie.

Former battle rapper Alex Larsen (Aka Kid Twist) wrote the film, and along with Eminem’s insight this has an authenticity that is undeniable. There’s as much love for the art here as there is commentary about how different that culture is and how disconnected from the outside world things can be. We watch Adam’s life as an average, woke college student with a girlfriend turn into someone who has to become un-woke in order to thrive in battling. It’s fascinating as a character study, and even more fascinating as a light on something that hasn’t been really shone on. The movie is visceral and thrilling and hilarious and jaw dropping and magnificent. Unique doesn’t even begin to describe it. Bodied is one of the best of 2018.

Good news! In addition to playing at Fantasia 2018, Bodied was picked up earlier this year for distribution through YouTube Red sometime (hopefully) later this year!