Homebody

If you're looking for a body swap film in a chaotic “Freaky Friday” style…look elsewhere. Joseph Sackett’s HOMEBODY approaches the trope with a more gentle and steady hand, though chaos does still ensue…Nine-year-old Johnny is attached to his babysitter, Melanie. Her lipstick, her clothes, her humor, her aura. Something about her draws Johnny in, and once he somehow finds himself in her body, he can ask himself why and reflect on the attachment. The exploration of a new body plops Johnny into coming to terms with his identity, simultaneously catapulting him into Melanie’s life, dodging her “boyfriend” and taking on her doula duties. It is during these wild few hours that Johnny questions what the world around him truly is, and where he can fit inside of it. Anchored by a cheerful score and Colby Minifie’s range-scaling performance, HOMEBODY finds the simple joys of imagination, fantasy, and our own intuition. —B.R.