What happens to a group of vapid, bored, rich gen Z-ers/millennials holed up in a McMansion during hurricane season when the wi-fi goes out?
If the film Bodies Bodies Bodies is anything to go by, they'll probably end up killing each other — unless someone else does it first.
The new horror-comedy film starring Pete Davidson and Amandla Stenberg follows seven friends who play a murder-in-the-dark style game called Bodies Bodies Bodies.
But before long actual bodies start mounting, and they have to figure out who the killer is.
Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova plays protagonist Bee, an outsider and the new girlfriend of one of the group members.
Speaking to ABC News from New York, she says the lack of trust between the supposed close-knit group of friends propels the story.
"You're dealing with your small little problems about have you texted her or you don't like my podcast or my parents are not upper class," she says.
"All of these little problems that are not life-threatening problems in a time when supposedly you have to protect yourself and your loved ones from a potential killer or natural disaster.
"That's the funny part [is] that you get folks [that worry about] so many little things instead of the big picture, which is scary. So it becomes funny."
'The biggest monster is within us'
As the group of 20-somethings race to discover the murderer in their midst, they also grapple with with social issues like performative ally-ship and cancel culture.
Terrified and covered in blood, they still manage to hurl insults at each other, like "You trigger me", "You are so toxic" and "You hate-listen to her podcast".
"The biggest monster in this film is somehow within us in every single character," says Bakalova, who is best known for her role as Borat's daughter Tutar in Borat: Subsequent Movie Film.
"It's not that much the hurricane, even the wi-fi. It's what happens inside of us when these circumstances happen around us.
"Who are we actually, in the darkness?"
The film asks whether the anxiety with these issues is intergenerational, as the characters mask their feelings by communicating through screens, using GIFs, memes and stickers to convey emotion.
"Am I gen Z? Am I a millennial? I believe that all generations are pretty glued to their phones," Bakalova says.
"I don't think [technology is] necessarily a bad thing as long as you know how to use it properly, but it's definitely shaping our lives in a way that changes communication between us.
"We kind of put a border between us and it's harder to communicate and develop a real relationship, build a trust with someone.
"And that's what we witnessed with these people that are in this nightmare.
"It's the first time they've probably communicated with each other for real for years."
Bakalova stars alongside a diverse cast that includes Chase Lui Wonders, Myha'la Herrold, Rachel Sennott and Lee Pace.
"Art is pretty much a reflection of the life we live," she says.
"And so many times, life copies art… And I think it's important to hear all different voices."
The thriller-slasher-black comedy film will be released in Australia on September 15.
