Director Of 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' Explains Ending, Deaths And Murder Of Men First

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read if you haven't watched "Bodies Bodies Bodies", currently playing in theaters.

A24's "Bodies Bodies Bodies" begins with seven young partygoers who drink, take drugs and meet up at a hurricane party, but the debauchery turns deadly as the night wears on, until only two people are left alive.

Young lovers Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) may be the only two survivors of this Gen Z massacre, but the trust between them is completely broken. Before dying, Jordan (Myha'la Herrold) reveals to Bee that she and Sophie slept together before the party, which Sophie denies. But after finding Jordan's underwear in Sophie's car, Bee isn't so sure. Sophie's reliability is then questioned after she claims to have discovered Emma (Chase Sui Wonders) dead at the bottom of the stairs - which was a deliberate reference to the actual murder case in 'The Staircase', reveals the director Halina Reijn at variety.

In a spoiler-filled chat, Reijn breaks down the major deaths in "Bodies Bodies Bodies," how we should interpret the ending, and why she wanted to kill the two men, David (Pete Davidson) and Greg (Lee Pace), d first.

How I interpreted the ending is that Sophie is lying about not having sex with Jordan, and Bee knows Sophie is lying because she found Jordan's underwear in Sophie's car . Is that right?

The character of Sophie is based on a character called Platonov, a Chekhov character. He's on stage all the time and he has relationships with all the other characters and hides everything. Sophie is a love bomber. Sophie is the one we all fall in love with and then she's very much in love with Bee, but she can also be obsessively in love an hour later with someone else. With almost everyone she has a history or a flirtation, even with David she says he was her boyfriend in high school. Everyone has a relationship with her. In my mind, she definitely has something to do with Jordan.

So should we believe Sophie when she says she found Emma dead at the bottom of the stairs?

Yes, I think so. This death was inspired by the documentary "The Staircase", which I was obsessed with. It was a tribute. Also in "The Staircase", the question was: "Was she under the influence of alcohol, how much alcohol did [Michael Peterson] give [Kathleen Peterson]?" I think Sophie feels guilty and accidentally contributed to his death. It was important to have that moment because the viewer should be able to go back and watch, and it should add up.

Who shot Alice (Rachel Sennott) when they were all fighting for the gun? I guess it was Jordan.

I think they were struggling; it was like a human balloon. I honestly think the gun went off and none of them really know, but if anyone is guilty, I think it's Jordan. But I don't think she shot him on purpose. What she does is clearly shoot him in the leg and say, "Did you just shoot me?!", which is one of my favorite moments.

What are some of your other favorite lines? I loved podcasting and when David makes fun of gaslighting.

All that block of text he has there has always been my favorite on the page. It's so awesome because it's so true. Lots of Rachel, when she says "I have body dysmorphia" when Bee explains that her mom is borderline. I love when Amandla says, "That's so capable," because she made it up herself. I love when Rachel says "You shut me up" and when Amandla talks about drinking coke and how she's being treated directly because she's black and then Rachel says "I'm an ally." It's so hypocritical but it's so good. I'm still laughing.

Was it always intended to kill the two men first and make all the women survive longer?

We wanted to say something, in a playful way, that men must die first. Also, I want juicy, funny and wonderful characters for women. The big scene with the shootout and the podcast is like a western to me. That's how we shot it, big close-ups, fights. We definitely wanted the males to die first, and then the cause of death is male toxic behavior and competitiveness. It really does exist, but it's also extremely, darkly humorous.

Anyone who watches a horror movie knows that if you have sex or use drugs, you will die. But you don't often see a lesbian couple in the foreground. Why was it important to include?

I wanted to make an inclusive film and not make a big deal out of queer characters. They're just queer, but they can be good, bad, messy, arrogant, shy. It does not matter; there is no story...