By George & Josh Bate
Surreal, psychological, claustrophobic, slow-burn sci-fi films may not be for everyone, but those who gravitate to movies such as Cube, Exam, Circle, and The Platform will understand that there is something equal parts thought-provoking and unsettling about confined, high-concept puzzle boxes. Home Bodies, a new film premiering at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, exists in the lineage of the aforementioned titles and similarly intrigues with the questions it poses and world in which it takes place in.
From director Casey Walker (A Little Bit Zombie), Home Bodies follows Red (Emma Ho) and Blue (Ian Ho), siblings whose entire existence is confined to a retro and somewhat dilapidated indoor living space. Food is readily available, entertainment comes in the form of VHS tapes of a show called ‘Barn,’ and the two only interact with one another and, on occasion, the disembodied voice of Papa through a locked door. But on Christmas, Red and Blue are ‘gifted’ a new member of the household, a silent figure named Pal (Ess Hödlmoser). When two becomes three, a wedge is driven between the siblings, which sets off a series of events that forever changes their lives.
If one were to succinctly characterize Home Bodies in a single word, the most apt descriptor would be ‘intriguing.’ Walker’s film is strange, slow, and plummets audiences into an experience difficult to wrap your head around. What is the backstory of Red and Blue? How does food just miraculously appear in cabinets? Who is Papa and why are they being kept in such confined quarters at all times? And what the hell is up with the weird children’s show they keep watching? All of these questions (and more) loom large over Home Bodies and create a palpable curiosity as a result.
Side-by-side with the sense of intrigue is a feeling that something is decidedly off about Red and Blue’s existence. Stunning production design makes their home a character unto itself (and poses all kinds of questions of its own). The space feels sterile, yet lived-in. Futuristic, yet vintage. Coupled with the intermittent presence of the rule-enforcing father figure Papa, Home Bodies very quickly encroaches on thriller/horror territory and, although devoid of traditional scares, does more than enough to creep under your skin.
Slow to the point that patience is sure to be tested, Walker’s film ramps up upon the introduction of Pal, the silent humanoid brought to life by The Boys actor Ess Hödlmoser. Pal is benign and doesn’t do much of anything, yet their presence creates conflict in the previously (and mostly) amicable relationship between Red and Blue. It is through Pal’s introduction that Home Bodies feels like a social experiment in cinematic form. What happens when two people, who have existed their entire lives together without the presence of anyone else, are suddenly forced to live with a third person? This third person is neither good nor bad, kind-hearted nor ill-intentioned, yet their presence nonetheless shakes up established dynamics in fascinating ways.
Taking a page out of David Lynch’s playbook, Walker embraces ambiguity, rather than providing concrete answers to all the questions posed. While this may frustrate some viewers seeking definitive resolution, it will likely appeal to fans of Inland Empire, Eraserhead, and other Lynch works, which are endless intriguing mystery boxes that are ultimately impossible to unlock. Our inquisitive side definitely left us wishing that more clues were sprinkled throughout to offer a greater understanding of what’s actually going on, but Walker and screenwriters Adrian Murray and Marcus Sullivan should be commended for crafting a film that invites a rewatch.
VERDICT: 7/10
Making its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2026, Home Bodies is a surreal, claustrophobic, and psychologically unsettling contained sci-fi movie in the vein of Cube, The Platform, Exam, and Circle. Director Casey Walker and screenwriters Adrian Murray and Marcus Sullivan mastermind a thoroughly intriguing, Lynchian, Waiting for Godot-inspired film that poses all manner of fascinating questions to ponder over but not necessarily receive concrete answers for. Slow pacing that tests one’s audience threatens to drag down a movie that comes to life upon the introduction of a third character to accompany our two protagonists, while stunning production design gives the film so personality and renders the confined indoor living space a character unto itself. Particularly inquisitive viewers may leave frustrated at how open-ended Home Bodies is, but the filmmaking team deserve plaudits for crafting a cinematic experience worthy of a rewatch – a movie that operates less like a traditional movie and more like a mystery box, albeit one decidedly difficult to open.
