Every Part of You
2023 · 8m · USA
Directed by Jessy Hodges
Tones: contemplative, melancholic
A sixteen-year-old sneaks her boyfriend home late at night, only to discover her mother once starred in a controversial 1980s cult horror film, triggering a frank mother-daughter confrontation about exploitation, the male gaze, and a hidden past.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Recreates an Evil Dead scene, then pivots to a mother-daughter chat about exploitation. The bait-and-switch from horror to issue-drama is a structural gimmick I've seen too many times — and June Diane Raphael cast as the secret cult-horror mom is the only thing keeping me curious.
Recreating an Evil Dead scene only to pivot into mother-daughter conversation about exploitation in cinema — Hodges is staging the Sarah Polley move on a smaller scale. The conceptual swerve is what I'll remember; whether the drama earns it remains the open question.
Recreating a notorious Evil Dead scene before pivoting entirely into a mother-daughter conversation about exploitation is a structural feint that depends on the recreation actually working as horror first. 8 minutes is the right runtime for that swerve.
Reviews
There are points where you think Every Part of You will slip into horror territory itself... However, that's not Hodges' aim here, as she keeps things grounded to focus on the real-life impact of the scenario.
The premise is just too unique and thought-provoking to ignore.