And Her Body Was Never Found
Real-life couple Polaris Banks and Mor Cohen create one of the most cringeworthy hybrid movies ever. When I use that term to describe their SXSW 2026 film And Her Body Was Never Found, it is a genuine compliment.
The audience follows Mor and Polaris, also the only two crew members, on an isolated camping trip, recreating their actual volatile discussions. Not since watching The Human Centipede have I felt this uncomfortable witnessing something so intensely personal on film. It’s the only film that similarly made my insides churn in a way I did not ask for.
The string-heavy score is reminiscent of Hitchcock. Although that’s not the only thing that leaves you with a spine-tingling sensation. Our leads pull the rug out from under the audience by suddenly breaking the fourth wall, plunging us into this meta horror aspect of their filmmaking. Blurring the lines is creepy as hell.
The film’s premiere comes at a particularly auspicious time as cases of “Alpine Divorce” are suddenly in the news. If you are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, I will explain. Men lead their significant others deep into the wilderness, then abandon them. The term comes from the 1893 short story “An Alpine Divorce” by Robert Barr, which follows a man plotting to murder his wife by leaving her on a Swiss Alp. More women are expressing on social media that this is happening to them. It is somehow insane, and yet entirely believable.
From a technical standpoint, it is incredibly impressive that each point of coverage maintains energy from cut to cut. As we pivot from movie-making mode to relationship mode, cell phone footage, framing, and jarring blackouts play mind games.
This is a shockingly visceral watch. Every beat is a glaring example of the vast differences in communication styles between genders. Semantics, blaming, gaslighting, lies, unresolved trauma, it all plays a part in the toxic cycles of arguing. It is impossible not to feel heated as you witness inevitably familiar turns of phrase and emotional escalation. And Her Body Was Never Found does its job, acting as a terrifyingly aggressive form of immersion therapy. By the end, I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
SXSW 2026 Watchlist
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