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Amandla Stenberg accuses New York Times movie critic of objectification

‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ star found an issue with the unfavourable film review

Inga Parkel
Thursday 18 August 2022 17:10 BST
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies Trailer

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Amandla Stenberg has accused New York Times film critic Lena Wilson of objectification in her recent Bodies Bodies Bodies review.

The 23-year-old actor stars in A24’s newest horror comedy film, about a group of affluent friends in their twenties whose party game results in a death.

Although the movie has received considerable critical acclaim, currently holding an 89 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, Wilson argued that, while the film is not “bad”, it’s “not special”.

“The only thing that really sets Bodies Bodies Bodies apart is its place in the A24 hype machine, where it doubles as a 95-minute advertisement for cleavage and Charli XCX’s latest single,” she wrote in her NYT review.

Posting to Twitter on Thursday (18 August), Wilson shared a screenshot of an Instagram message she received from Stenberg a few days after the review was published, which read: “Your review is great, maybe if you had gotten your eyes off my tits you could’ve watched the movie!”

Below the photo, Wilson tweeted: “Always weird when the homophobia is coming from inside the house but this is something.”

“Me: (spends one line of a 500-word review facetiously commenting on how A24 objectifies young women to sell content),” she added. “Random men on Twitter dot com and also, apparently, Amandla Stenberg: Local Dyke Cannot Stop Talking About Boobies.”

Lena Wilson and Amandla Stenberg Instagram exchange
Lena Wilson and Amandla Stenberg Instagram exchange (Lena Wilson/ Twitter screenshot)

The Independent has reached out to Stenberg’s reps for comment.

“Do you think Lee Pace is going to be mad at me next because to be fair I did actually call him hot in that review?” Wilson questioned.

Her sentiments echo fans who were also thrilled to see “hot” Lee Pace featured in the film.

Stenberg has since defended herself in an Instagram video, claiming that she was only trying to be funny.

Bodies Bodies Bodies is out in cinemas now.

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