A couple goes away for a weekend in the woods and ends up going through more than they signed up for. It’s a premise as old and sturdy as they come, one that gives the filmmakers plenty of room to play and put their spin on a familiar setup. For Mor and Polaris, a couple’s reckoning is just the beginning of their troubles in the crafty and clever relationship horror And Her Body Was Never Found.
Mor (Mor Cohen) and Polaris (Polaris Banks) seem like just another couple when the film opens. Maybe they bicker more than most couples, or maybe we’re just picking up their story during a rough patch. The first impression of the couple is that Polaris is a bit pompous and argues for the sake of arguing, while Mor is running out of patience with this guy and his endless blathering. It starts to feel like this is an attempt to salvage their relationship, even if they may not realize it. Wherever they’re at in their timeline, this isn’t one of their stronger days. They argue over the most banal things, but the script (by Cohen and Banks) peppers in enough self-awareness to keep the chatter fresh. There’s an exchange where Mor says, ‘you ruined it by being douchey,” to which Polaris deadpans, “that’s my thing, honey.” The movie is full of these incisive moments, whether Mor and Polaris are digging into each other or themselves.
I need to throw in a spoiler warning here because the film takes a couple of major turns that are best experienced blindly. I’ll dance around specifics as much as possible, but spoilers are necessary.
Their growing frustration reaches a tipping point with a moment on a cliff completely upends both their relationship and the film itself. The fourth wall comes down as And Her Body Was Never Found takes a One Cut of the Dead twist and becomes a found footage movie about a couple going through it made by a couple going through it. The second half of the film goes to Community-levels of metaness, elevating what was already a compelling thriller into something more unique. The arguing continues for Mor and Polaris, but it’s more charged and personal now. It’s a well executed twist that turns the film into a standout amongst this year’s SXSW slate.
And Her Body was Never Found is the kind of DIY indie movie that can serve as inspiration to anyone wanting to make a movie but has no idea where to start. Mor and Polaris basically did everything themselves, covering nearly every role behind and in front of the camera. It’s an impressive feat on its own, but what makes the film noteworthy is how well it all works. The movie could have gone completely off the rails at any point, but it never does. And Her Body Was Never Found is my favorite discovery of this year’s SXSW.
