Hollywood's recent attempts to capture the Gen Z zeitgeist are falling short, according to critics. Films such as Netflix's Do Revenge and A24's Bodies Bodies Bodies, as well as the TV series Euphoria, aim to depict the generation born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, but their portrayals are often deemed inauthentic.
Do Revenge, a black comedy directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, updates the Mean Girls formula for a Gen Z audience. Set in a Miami private school, the film follows Drea and Eleanor as they scheme against their peers. Despite its feminist themes and lesbian characters, the narrative simplifies teenage experiences, reducing issues like revenge porn to plot points rather than exploring their complexities.
Similarly, Bodies Bodies Bodies, a slasher-comedy from Halina Reijn, satirises class and privilege among wealthy twenty-somethings. Characters engage in arguments about identity politics, using buzzwords such as 'gaslighting' for comedic effect. However, the film struggles to balance empathy with mockery, often leaning towards broad generalisations about a plugged-in generation.
Culture writer Jihane Bousfiha told BBC Culture: 'The majority of media centred on our generation tends to miss the mark because the people making [the films] end up getting caught up in the idea of what Gen Z behaviour is like, as opposed to what the reality is.' This critique highlights a wider trend of films focusing on superficial traits like social media use and cancel culture, while failing to capture the nuanced realities of Gen Z life.
