Bones and All
Abandoned by her father, a young woman named Maren embarks on a thousand-mile odyssey through the backroads of America where she meets Lee, a disenfranchised drifter. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.
- Released:
- Runtime: 131 minutes
- Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance
- Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, André Holland, Francesca Scorsese, David Gordon Green, Anna Cobb, Max Soliz, Kendle Coffey, Johanna McGinley, Hannah Barlow, Claudio Encarnacion Montero, Sue Hopkins, Brady Gentry
- Director: Luca Guadagnino
Comments
- sadmansakibayon - 12 June 2024
Bones and All --- Unique and intriguing
Apart from a few cannibalism films released in the last couple decades, this is one of the lesser approached subgenres in horror films today. Italian filmmakers popularized the flesh eaters throughout the 70's and 80's and despite "Bones & All" being fully financed by all Italian production companies, the film bears no resemblance to its exploitation counterparts that preceded it. It's quite the contrast to witness such a beautiful film that comprises such dark subject matter, but "Bones & All" delivers just that. Whether it's the attention to detail or the focus on subtleties, this is a film that gives the allusion of minimalism yet it encompasses so much more. Visually the film is very appealing with an unconventional approach to its cinematography, riding a fine line between artsy and experimental without being pretentious. Melding this all together is a uniquely subtle yet prevailing score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that fits perfectly.
The casting choices for "Bones & All" couldn't have been any better as the two main leads had amazing chemistry together and absolutely dominated their performances. Taylor Russell (Escape Room, Lost in Space TV Series) played the coming of age Maren and she was fantastic as she struggled to balance her morals against her all-consuming needs. Timothée Chalamet (Lady Bird, Wonka) played the love interest Lee and his natural acting ability just blew me away, this guy has some serious skills. Not to be outdone, Mark Rylance (Dunkirk, Ready Player One) who played the menacing 'eater' Sully was incredibly disconcerting..... As far as onscreen deaths go, "Bones & All" has a kill count at around seven victims although the actual number of kills is much, much higher. There are a few scenes that go into greater detail regarding these past deaths so I won't spoil anything here. A couple of the deaths are quite shocking and unexpected and there is a decent amount of blood and gore to compliment these scenes.
Unique and intriguing film that took the cannibalism subgenre in a whole different direction. I'm not sure if it's the romanticism or the normalization of eating human flesh that disturbed me more. Recommended.... Adios.... - nhoustonparks - 4 April 2024
Wish It Were Unmade
The only spoiler alert is that I am expressing that I find this movie disgusting. I find nothing good to say about it except to praise Mark Rylance's creepy performance. Bright star Chalamet's best scene is the grocery store one, the rest being only disturbing. I found nothing special about Taylor Russell. The only way the story begins to make sense is if cannibalism is meant to stand for something else. I have no clue what that "something else" could be. Oddness is the only reason I can think of for the making of the film. I wish someone's better judgment had vetoed the idea. Guadagnino is "mad," I just hope that overall he is a "mad genius." I think Call Me by Your Name suggests he is. Here he stuck a finger in my throat to start a vomiting of disgust, figuratively speaking. That has never been a reason for my wanting to see a movie. Hate is a strong word, but I do hate this film. - siritin - 19 January 2024
A bleak story about two cannibals with no chemistry
The romance feels very forced, a platonic relationship between the two main characters would've worked so much better.
Timothee's character is very bleak and brings nothing to to the table, that forces him to overact. Most of the time I felt very irritated by him. The narrative is also so basic, sure not every movie is about cannibal lovers but I think it could've been done better. We learn very little about the characters which leaves with nothings since the characters don't seem to have any personality except for sally and Marens mothers, unfortunately those were just side characters.
On this long beautifully shot journey we learn more about people around Maren and Lee which I think makes the story and dialogue very poor and honestly kind of cringe. - blu_crumbs - 3 January 2023
Cinematography was pleasing, but that was it.
This film felt like a fever dream to me. I have read the book, and I felt that the film should be a separate review and not be compared with it. When watching the film, I had the book plot in my mind; however, Luca Guadagnino had made the film in his own interpretation. I actually read the script that Guadagnino had written, and I felt that he should have stuck to the plot of the script (it added so much depth to the story), but the film would have been longer. The cinematography takes the icing off the cake with the 80s film grain; the atmosphere of uncertainty lingered throughout the film to show the journey of the main characters, and the acting performances of all three lead characters were believable and heartfelt. When it came to character casting, Taylor Russell was fantastic as Maren; however, I did not picture Timothée Chalamet as Lee because he did not fit Lee's behavior of being more deviant and full of risk. Furthermore, I wanted more scenes that showed the sibling relationship between the characters of Kayla (played by Anna Cobb) and Lee.
When talking about the gore or eerie scenes in this film, it was so-so. As this is a film about cannibals, you'd expect more blood and gore. The effects looked average, and it just looked like the cannibals were chewing on "gummy" bodies. I did watch Guadagnino's Suspiria (2018), and I had high expectations that he would make this film spine-chilling, but I was disappointed. I give this film a 7/10 because I actually enjoyed it, I cried at the ending (even though I knew that it was going to end up like that), and overall, I am a sucker for beautiful cinematography. - killercharm - 30 December 2022
Anything but that ending
Based on the 2015 novel Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis this is the tale of two cannibals who are born that way. They are not just people who eat people, they are rather born different. They can smell each other out and they can't choose. They must eat people to survive, like a zombie. Set in the 80s, I wish she were dressed like the 80s instead of her 90s floral dresses, ditto his 90s style missing-knees jeans. The story is slowly and well told, lovingly expressed. Maren, our heroine, is abandoned by her father when she turns 18. Unlike many actresses who play younger, Taylor Russell totally looks like a teenager. She sets off with the audio-tape her daddy left her by way of explanation and the money he left her by way of care. - nannettesandy - 27 December 2022
Needed a better ending
The beginning and right up to the middle made you think that there would be some form of explanation of Maren's journey. There could of been a better conclusion about her and Lee, then ending with the far shot of the two sitting in an embrace. Your left with wondering if Maren continues to feed or learned a way to live without feeding on others. She ranted about not wanting to hurt anybody. Another question unanswered referring to Lee and his injuries. He wanted her to feed on him.
The first half was entertaining and led you to believe that Maren's life after leaving home would show her fate. Good or bad. Unfortunately, a fall short story lacking the ending result of the both characters and if the two were ever in love in the first place. - akoaytao1234 - 24 December 2022
Barely Anything At All
Its about two Cannibals trapped in a world that they cannot stop their thirst for bones and all. As one, tries to find her mother, the other just finding a way to live.
I do not get the hype. Its a ok coming of age AND barely passable as a love story. I still do not get the hype with Timothy Chalamet nor did Taylor Russell was noteworthy in the film. Their overall connection did not land well too. The reason they got together again was very weak and far too convenient. The story is a weirdly paced and can be all over the place in terms of tone. It has a weird messaging and visualization of how older eaters are scummy and creepy. I get it but they shown another prolific eater in Chalamet's character BUT gave him less creepiness, because he is young. I wish they were humanized or even just given much more story to linger on. That's me clearly cherry picking the film, but I felt that is truly off to be honest. A lot of it also feels so empty. The ending pretty much rushed.
Overall, this feels like how I felt with Call Me By Your Name. Its just feel empty given the grand scale it went for. A lot of ideas but it does not combine into something special. - Neptune165 - 20 December 2022
Didn't really get me to a point where I was like wow what a great movie
I just watched it today and I'm a little upset that I watched 2 hours and still don't know what they are. And at the end where they are sitting on the hill together left me hanging. Like did he live? Is there a way to heal their bodies? Did she eat him? I mean c'mon what did we just watch? EXPLAIN PLEASE 😐. I wasn't really convinced by how the two fell in love etc. I felt it was way too rushed, the romance didn't really develop it just was just there.... I would have liked it if they would have developed their romance a lot more. Am i the only one who didn't like this movie lol... I'm into indie,messed up, gorey films && this honestly came off cheesy & boring?? Maybe i have to watch it again but the characters weren't likeable, the plot was all over the place & i was honestly just waiting for it to be over at the hour mark. What they're doing is not explored nearly enough. You can't play the pragmatic sociopath, complain about other people being not perfect, desperately need love and also eat people... That needs to be examined. - Vivekmaru45 - 17 December 2022
I was suckered into watching this movie by a person who compared this movie to Interview With The Vampire 1994.
I was severely disappointed. The movie doesn't even come close to the Neil Jordan masterpiece.
Well whats the movie about? Vampiric and cannibalistic addiction caused by possibly mutated human being who look normal on the outside. These are not zombies, don't get me wrong. Closest comparison could be cannibal species of humans.
Sandwiched into this story are elements of love and romance, finding one's identity and roots. Maren a teenage girl with cannibalistic tendencies runs away from home to escape the wrath of the law. On her way she befriends a similar cannibal, a teenage boy her age called Lee. Thrown into the mix is an age-old cannibal called Sully who helps Maren at a point in the film. Soon these three will be thrown into a nightmarish sequence of events...
I would caution you that this film is two hours long and if you want to save precious time you can trust me that there is nothing redeemable in the film. If you've seen Interview With A Vampire, then there's not point of seeing this one. - brentn - 16 December 2022
Couldn't fulfill my appetite
I have nothing bad to say about any of the characters, Mark Rylance stands out of course but all performances were top notch. I made it through the movie fine but the story became a little labored toward the end. There was only enough cannibalism to keep you invested in the film but most of it resides in the backdrop as the movie centres around Maren's loneliness and sanity as she tries to discover the origins of her affliction. Timothee Chalamet is along for the ride as a more experienced guide, rather than Taylor Russell's equal, which is fine considering he doesn't feel the same way she does about their lifestyle. I also found some of the other plot points very interesting when meeting other "Eaters" and how they seem to recognize each other. These aspects needed to be explored and utilized more as I found that there was a more engrossing idea underneath what was being shown and should have been delved into. A sort of "Underground Community" like in Nicholas Cage's Pig or maybe a more sinister villain like No Country For Old Men for a more menacing atmosphere. I think there could have been more intrigue, tension and horror elements to project on the audience if more conflict was present with different types of characters within said community. Unfortunately, the movie keeps the romance and despair aspects at the forefront which leaves you wanting more out of a story that only had so much to tell. It was a good effort and an original idea but I think a different direction would have made for a more livelier film.
