![](\"https:\/\/cdn.collider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/bodied-jackie-long-calum-worthy.jpg\")
<\/p>\nReviewed by Kimberli Wong, viewed at AFI Fest 2017<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joseph Kahn hates white people.\u00a0 And based on the premise of the film, I’m allowed to say that.<\/p>\n
To be clear, he doesn’t actually <\/em>hate white people. \u00a0He might actually hate all people, or at least one would think so listening to the main characters rap battle it out on stage. \u00a0On that stage, anything goes, and all people are fair game. \u00a0Race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, class…. if you are it, you can be made fun of it for it. \u00a0And as long as it\u2019s in the context of the rap battle, it is OK.<\/p>\n Joseph Kahn said that he was inspired to make the movie because based on his experience, in social media, everyone thinks they are right. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter what you say, someone else will have an opinion about why what you said is offensive, or politically incorrect, or just plain wrong. \u00a0He says that the only place he knew of where people could say\u00a0whatever<\/em> they wanted, and no one would jump all over them for it was… in a rap battle.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting proposition, and to me raises the question, when is criticism or critique of someone else, say, in social media, cultural nitpicking (or worse) and when is it, well, valid? \u00a0What is the difference between \u201cthe haters\u201d and \u201clegitimate criticism?\u201d<\/p>\n These were the thoughts running through my head as I watched Bodied, this explosive, aggressive, and entertaining critique of social criticism. \u00a0The attitude is fierce, the rhymes are there, and the actors deliver… but, what, exactly, is Kahn trying to say?<\/p>\n It is a little difficult to discern, as at one point he is making fun of, for example, white, intellectual, elitist vegans, and the next he is slamming women in misogynistic rhymes which, I must admit, are a little unnerving to listen to, even if it\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>to be taken with a form of removed observation. \u00a0At one point one of the battlers admits, \u201cit does something to your soul\u201d hearing these negative slams\u00a0over\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0over <\/em>and over <\/em>again. \u00a0And she is right.<\/p>\n The protagonist Adam (Calum Worthy) is a seemingly well-meaning, semi-bumbling white college student working on his Senior Thesis. \u00a0He attempts to interview well-known battler Behn Grimm (Jackie Long), as \u201cresearch.\u201d \u00a0It is pretty obvious from the beginning Adam is a closeted rap battler himself, who is just begging for someone to push him into the spotlight, and give him an excuse to follow his dream. \u00a0To the dismay, of course, of his highly-educated, politically-correct, nag of a girlfriend, Maya (Rory Uphold).<\/p>\n On the one hand, Kahn is defending this impressive art know as battle rap, which is spoken word poetry with a serious edge, often done impromptu and with the aim of defeating your competitor. \u00a0He invites the audience into this (misunderstood?) world, and shows that, just because you slam your competition in the ring, it doesn\u2019t speak of who you are as a person. \u00a0Behn Grimm, for all his battling prowess, is a game developer and family man trying to put food on the table. \u00a0On the other hand, it doesn\u2019t give you a free pass. \u00a0In other words, if you are a jerk outside the ring, you are a jerk. \u00a0Period.<\/p>\n So, is Kahn saying that, battle rap is battle rap, it\u2019s all about how you live? \u00a0Is he saying our world has become\u00a0too<\/em> politically correct, where anything anyone says is immediately deconstructed for racist, genderist, misogynist, nationalist,\u00a0et al-ist\u00a0<\/em>undertones and intentions? \u00a0Is that a cop out for the things that people say and do which\u00a0actually are\u00a0<\/em>those things? \u00a0Even if, they are good people?<\/p>\n I need to watch the film again. \u00a0It\u2019s that lit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reviewed by Kimberli Wong, viewed at AFI Fest 2017 Joseph Kahn hates white people.\u00a0 And based on the premise of the film, I’m allowed to say that. To be clear, he doesn’t actually hate white people. \u00a0He might actually hate all people, or at least one would think so listening to the main characters rap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":226246,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[316,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-afi-filmfest-2017","category-films"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/226246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40147\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}