Bones and All review: A cannibalistic banquet that’ll devour hearts for the ages

 

Bones and All review: A cannibalistic banquet that’ll devour hearts for the ages

Bones and All comes to us from Italian film director Luca Guadagnino, whom you may know from 2017’s Call Me by Your Name, 2018’s Suspiria remake, and 2020’s HBO miniseries We Are Who We Are. Here we follow two teenagers Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothee Chalamet) in their adolescence as they embark on a road trip across America, all while embracing their carnivorous habit for cannibalism. I was able to attend an early screening for this at The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Staten Island, NY. Everyone else will be able to catch this film on November 23rd when it releases in theaters worldwide. 

Luca has always been someone I’ve admired and yet struggled with at the same time. His sumptuous and sensual approach to his work has always been substantial, the way he’s always able to craft such a seductive environment is a real gift, but it’s almost as if he never really struck a core balance between that and the emotional connection to the characters. I always found myself only aesthetically driven by his films and never emotionally driven. When it comes to Bones and All he finally knocked it out of the park. Here he manages to create a fusion of genres that of, coming-of-age, road trip, romance, horror and is astonishingly able to make these various pieces sing together as a cohesive whole, while showcasing flawed, but compelling characters. With a premise as divisive as this it is expected to be repulsed by the characters actions, as one should not condone the gruesome acts our protagonists commit, but Luca is not telling us to condone their actions, he's simply telling us to understand it. It can be very hard for some to stomach this because it is gory and off-putting at times, even the first 10 minutes are lockjaw. Somehow Luca manges to make those horrific aspects take a backseat and draw our attention elsewhere. The spotlight shines on this soft lush romance that feels very somber to witness these young teenagers who are misguided, scarred, and forgotten about by having us not only repulsed by their actions beyond redemption, but understand them and relate to them through it. I’m certain anyone who decides to watch this can resonate to it on a different wavelength, surely everyone has felt like an outsider at some point in their lifespan where they feel as if they don’t belong anywhere. 

The fanbase for Timmy boy is going to amplify as far as it can possibly go, and he once again puts in 100% as always. However, it's his co-star Taylor Russell who is the glue that holds it all together here and is actually the main character in this fable. As said before, this is a film about being an outsider while also dealing with the fragility of youth and the loss of innocence. Taylor really embodies this character of Maren so vividly, you do feel a tremendous amount of sympathy for her because she really wants to change and not become a monster. The casting of Taylor here is spot on, she has a very angelic innocence to her that makes her feel all the more believable as Maren leaving for the juxtaposition between that and her grotesque actions is what makes the themes of this film all that more visual and tangible. 

 

 

This is based on a book of the same name written by Camille DeAngelis. Personally I have not read it, but from the reviews of the readers it seems as if they’ve given a lot of kudos for the film's changes. It is such a rarity to hear about and should be viewed as commendable to see that kind of response. This film really shouldn’t work as well as it does, but Luca seems to have achieved the impossible by displaying a cinematic ambiance for the ages. Bones and All blends the meandering tenderness of Call Me by Your Name with the grotesqueness of Suspiria to create a beautifully twisted painting of innocence shattering and love piecing it back together. It’s quite a miracle to see how meticulous this film actually is. The transitions from the hazy moonlit nights and sun-soaked afternoons, taking place in the forgotten corners of Midwest in Reagan’s America makes this out to be one of the best film’s in the cinematography department for the year. Besides the cannibalistic aspect Bones and All does make out for a pretty quiet and relaxing road trip movie. At its core is a fluid romantic story, loosely structured about how cannibals resemble vampires, if you can look at the film from that point of view then Bones and All is all the more blissful. Thankfully I did not catch any of the marketing trailers before the showing and highly recommend everybody else do the same, unless you would like more than half of the film spoiled for you like the majority of trailers today. Really hope somebody is able to put a stop to it eventually, but for the time being please go out and support this film when it releases (if you think you can handle it). If so, my last recommandation is don’t eat anything before or during the film. 

 

 

Make sure to check out our Nerdthusiast Movie Audio Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nerdthusiast-movie-podcast/id1599731947

 

Also can check out another Cannibalistic film here called Human Hibachi

 

By Danny Manna Twitter: @Cinemanna24 - Nerdthusiast Content Creator