Bones and All (Mini-Review)

Bones and All is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Camille DeAngelis. Maren Yearly is a young woman afflicted with an intense need to eat other people. After her latest killing, her father abandons her. The only things he leaves her with are her birth certificate and a tape. This leads to her trying to find her mother. Along the way she meets an older eater, aka a cannibal like Maren, called Sully who seems to have bad intentions for her. She also forms a relationship with Lee who is also an eater. Bones and All was released in 2022. It was directed by Luca Guadagnino. It stars Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, and Mark Rylance.

There are no mid or post-credits at the end of this movie.

The trailer for this movie really drew me in. I wanted to find out more about eaters and what choices Maren would make. The only part that made me uneasy was the romance between Maren and Lee. I was afraid that it would take attention away from the cannibals. Luckily that wasn't the case. The romance is tied deeply with the cannibalism.

I don't know if it was a mistake or intentional for my theater to have Spanish subtitles playing on Bones and All. On the upside I was able to practice my Spanish during the movie. The downside was that until the cannibalism started, I thought I was in the wrong theater. There were two other people in the theater with me and I wanted to yell out if they were here to see Bones and All. Next time I go I'll ask the theater.

The world within the movie is filled with loneliness. Maren has had to move a lot due to her tendency to eat people.For many years her father has covered up her killings. But eventually he leaves her all alone. She doesn't have any friends as she eats people. Sully shows her that there are others like her in the world. I remember learning the term genderfluid years ago and feeling empowered because I wasn't one of a kind like I thought. Today I identity as agender and will always remember how freeing the term genderfluid made me feel.

This film is not for the faint of heart. If it was just a love story with a woman looking for her mother, I would consider it more than tame. But cannibalism plays a central part and the movie doesn't shy away from that topic. Eaters talk about themselves and explain how they view their nature. While the whole eating people isn't shown in explicit detail, those that can't handle gore will be deeply scarred. You see just as the eaters start eating and after so there is still blood and gore. It is eerie how calm they are about eating other people.

One thing that brings an eerie aesthetic is the camera shots. I swear some of the camera shots have fallen out of popularity in recent years. So seeing them again made me feel on edge. It's extremely subtle but very effective.

I would recommend Bones and All to those looking for a horror movie. I would also recommend Bones and All to those looking for a compelling romance. Finally, I would recommend Bones and All for those seeking a road trip movie.