Luca Guadagnino’s 2022 film, “Bones and All,” is about Maren Yearly, played by Taylor Russell, a teenage girl who is a cannibal, and her journey of self discovery after her father abandons her. On that journey, she meets Lee, played by Timothee Chalamet, a fellow cannibal. After meeting, they decide to go on this journey together. Throughout the film, Maren learns how to deal with not only other people, but herself.
The performances from Russell and Chalamet are so strong and bring their characters a touching display of humanity, tenderness and love. They build an intimate connection with each other because, in some ways, that is a necessity for them to survive.
One of the most significant scenes in the film is when they first meet. Maren goes into a store to steal tampons and sees Lee in the same store aisle. In that one moment, they immediately know they are both “eaters,” as they call each other, by one another’s scent. When an obnoxious store customer is making a scene, Lee threatens him to get out of the store and eventually leads him away to be eaten.
This scene is so important to the storyline for Maren and Lee because this is the start of their relationship, which is vital to each other’s lives because they do not know many other people who are eaters.
Lee (Timothee Chalamet) and Maren's (Taylor Russell) relationship is vital to their survival.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Since this is a movie about cannibals, I realize it is not an easy sell. However, Guadagnino’s vision makes the film palatable and enjoyable even for those who might be weary. If this was directed by someone else, they could not have created such a sympathetic environment.
It is still extremely gory at times, so much so that it might be the most gore and blood I have ever seen in a film. But Guadagnino’s artistic eye knows when it is too much and changes the scene at the perfect time before the gore evolves into repulsion. The film gets pretty brutal and grotesque when it has to, but in a good way. And for every gruesome scene, there is a heartwarming one.
This film is a road movie, and I am a big lover of films that have picturesque scenes of American landscapes. And what Guadagnino does here is gorgeous. His vision of the rural areas of the American midwest and American society in the late 1980s is stunning and timeless. There were so many moments where I was in love with watching the landscape shots of the beautiful sky accompanied by the score in the background.
Maren and Lee get to know each other and start to develop feelings.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The score, done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, is also one of my favorite parts of the movie. It uses just a simple guitar on most of the tracks, creating the perfect soundtrack that describes the tender feelings of Maren and Lee, as well as the audience.
There were many different moments in the film where I thought it was going to end. “Bones and All” had a multitude of alternate endings, and I would have been satisfied with any of them. Usually, if I feel a film is being drawn out, I am opposed to it, but I loved that it kept going and adding onto Maren and Lee’s story because I wanted to know what was going to happen with them.
As a film that is part horror, part romance, part drama and even has a comedic flare, it blended all the genres so well together. So many things I love about the film are thanks to Russell and Chalamet’s performances, Guadagnino’s direction and Reznor and Ross’ score.
Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet star in "Bones and All."
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
It has been a while since a movie has left me feeling so full when I left the theater (no pun intended), but “Bones and All” has done that. Even in the ugliest of ways, the film is a public display of the love that connects us all.
