Body Swap

starring: TESS DINERSTEIN & DAVID JOHN CRAIG

Ambitious ad executive Kristen and her rival JT compete for a promotion when a power surge causes them to swap bodies. They navigate gender stereotypes and personal insecurities, gaining empathy for each other through the chaos.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a lovely intelligent vertical on @dramashorts_official that has something to say about gender politics, 2 great central performances and some good giggles

A body swap storyline is so reliant on the leads selling it, and @tess.din and @davidjohncraig at both great

@tess.din has some super moments capturing male mannerisms and body language, and you have to watch this vertical for JT's first experience of a period. Thank you writers!!!! It does hurt. A lot.

And @davidjohncraig keeps things soft and feminine without ever going OTT. Because there is some humour here, but this story has more to say about the different gender experiences in the workplace, and how both Kristen and JT learn from each other how to be better colleagues and leaders.

Thankfully we are fairly free of vertical villainry nonsense, and instead JT has good conversations with his father, and Kristen's intern gets better at her job

My viewing of this one was rather disjointed, I usually try and watch verts in 1-2 sittings. This was squeezed in around a very busy week, and took me 5 days to finish. I did find viewing like that made it harder for me to keep track of the story and is perhaps why I didn't feel as connected to the romance. Note to self here that this disjointed viewing doesn't work.

I also objected to the weird suit that someone put Tess in at the end, the Beetlejuice outfit was better.

But overall a good entry into the Body Swap cannon and top performances by the leads.

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

This is a slow burn rather than instant chemistry, as Kristen and JT need time to understand each other. But it means by the end the relationship is really well founded, and both do the big gesture, giving up their job / position to protect the other.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

Mainly the sleazy security guard, who Ross thankfully fires near the end.

😂 Comedy gold:

Very much enjoyed the attempts to swap back, including let’s run into each other. Plus the contouring lessons. I would also like HR Manager Ross’ desk sign that says ‘Desk Of A Humble Geniius

🎺 Unsung hero:

The scriptwriter for making some interesting points regarding gender stereotypes, and ensuring neither Kristen or JT are perfect, but instead both have their flaws and challenges.

✍🏼 DETAILS

2025

Available on Dramashorts