In one of the most provocative and daring films of 2017, director Joseph Kahn depicts the tale of Adam, a white grad student obsessed with the world of underground battle rap where competitors go head to head in combat where wits and put downs are weapons. Enamored with the wordplay of the events, Adam is determined to write his thesis on the nuances of racially charged colloquial terms used in the most impressive insults. When a chance encounter puts him front and center as an unexpected participant in the battles he embraces it, only to discover that being mean for sport might push him towards his darker tendencies.

Attacking the material with a ferocious energy, Kahn’s direction is as kinetic as it is thoughtful. A daring satire with a musical twist, Bodied confronts the complexities of modern race relations head-on while paying tribute the power of language.