Screening: Saturday, May 5th, 2018, 7pm
Directed by Joseph Kahn
Starring Calum Worthy, Jackie Long, and Rory Uphold
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Director Joseph Kahn in attendance for a Q&A!
Synopsis: A satire set in the world of competitive battle rap, BODIED is the story of Adam Merkin, a progressive grad student who becomes an accidental battle rapper after encountering Behn Grym, a respected icon in the merciless sub-culture of poetic personal insults. As Adam makes his politically-incorrect climb up the ranks, he risks alienating his father, a renowned writer and tenured professor at Adam’s university, along with his skeptical girlfriend Maya, and all of his academic friends. His success breeds outrage however; Adam soon faces growing backlash on campus and the consequences of his controversial talent. BODIED explores the dangerous spaces of the world’s most multicultural and artistically brutal sport.
“An energetic, playful, freewheeling film that gets at some of the complexity of the endless counter-currents of racial debate in America.” – Tasha Robinson, The Verge
“Offers an entertaining window into a culture that most people probably know very little about, but it’s also a clever take on a generation more aware of what’s offensive and what’s not than any before.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
The Chicago Critics Film Festival 