Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 4, 2023

2014’s “Young Bodies Heal Quickly” is meant to be a cinematic experience from writer/director Andrew T. Betzer, who blends elements of Terrence Malick, Harmony Korine, and many more artful filmmakers for this study of human behavior and low impulse control. There’s a thin slice of story to snack on, with the rest of the picture devoted to Betzer’s interests in imagery and exaggeration, offering a wandering endeavor that’s occasionally stimulated by oddity and carried by lovely cinematography from Sean Price Williams (“Good Time,” “Her Smell,” “Tesla”).

Older Brother (Gabriel Croft) has escaped from some sort of facility, returning to the company of his Younger Brother (Hale Lytle), with the pair resuming their days being destructive around nature. They pick a fight with two local girls, and Younger Brother takes a bat to one of them. Fearing he’s killed her, Older Brother grabs his sibling and they take off into the world, with the duo experiencing the company of various strangers in California, unsure where they fit in with these lonely and destructive people.

“Young Bodies Heal Quickly” is a mood piece, with Betzer staying close to Older and Younger Brother as they experience the world around them. They deal with behavioral issues and limited guardianship, and a dire moment of violence sends them on the run in California, making their way to the coast to acquire some type of stability that will forever elude them. The boys meet with a French hotel housekeeper trying to dodge her abusive boyfriend, and they visit their older sister, who wants nothing to do with the chaos they bring. “Young Bodies Heal Quickly” spends the most time with an old Australian man, who tries to teach the brothers some discipline while luring them into his military fantasies, including participation in a Vietnam War reenactment with enthusiastic participants.

Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.81:1 aspect ratio) presentation works with the Super 16mm cinematography of "Young Bodies Heal Quickly." It's a film-like viewing experience, with decently resolved grain. Detail goes about as far as possible, exploring numerous locations with depth, and skin particulars are acceptable, offering a sense of wear and tear on the characters. There's a warmer palette here, with the summery, California look of the feature preserved, going for more of a golden glow at times. Primaries are distinct with signage and decorative additions. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is detected.

Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 Dolby Digital mix deals more with atmospherics, capturing a sense of outdoor activity. Dialogue exchanges are limited but clear. Music selections are reasonably defined, supporting moods with decent instrumentation.

Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (30 pages) offers essays by Nicholas Elliott and Sean Price Williams, and two interviews with writer/director Andrew T. Betzer.

• Commentary features writer/director Andrew T. Betzer.

• Deleted Scenes (1:28, HD) are presented.

• Short Films (HD) include "John Wayne Hates Horses" (10:04), "Small Apartment" (7:46), "Ivan Runs Some Errands, Run Amok" (13:31), "I Turn to Jello" (14:54), and "Important Police Shit" (12:18).

• And a Trailer (1:32, HD) is included.

Young Bodies Heal Quickly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Young Bodies Heal Quickly" is a wandering picture, generally eschewing structure to remain feral with the lead characters, following their limited instincts and destructive ways. Some very mild passes a humor are present, with the majority of the film in observational mode, studying how these two inexperienced kids manage to find trouble and escape danger. Betzer has a real poker face with the endeavor, asking viewers to sit down with a journey that doesn't reward in a dramatic sense, going more interpretive as issues with other characters arrive. "Young Bodies Heal Quickly" could use a great deal of editorial pruning, and Betzer's focus on random objects and events gets a little tedious, bordering on self-parody of art house adventuring with disturbed people and dangerous curiosity. However, the feature looks terrific, capturing a feel for open world exploration and sibling troublemaking, with imagery often more enticing than disorientation. The effort is strictly for those capable of remaining with an art house stroll, with Beltzer looking to create something undefinable using inspiration from his favorite helmers.