“A young woman embarks on a 1000 mile odyssey through America where she meets a disenfranchised drifter. But all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether love can survive their otherness.”
One of the most amazing feats of Bones and All is that it makes you forget its a movie about cannibals. Impressive, no?
Although cannibalism is an intrinsic part of the story, the unpredictable plot points, the bittersweet love story, and the breadth of the film’s subject matter and symbolism elevates Bones and All far beyond a monster movie.
As with Call Me By Your Name (and yes, we’re moving swiftly past the disturbing Armie Hammer/cannibal connection), Luca Guadagnino shines when it comes to directing coming-of-age films about societal outsiders. The film follows Maren, who was born a cannibal and now finds herself abandoned by her single father on her eighteenth birthday. She decides to journey to the hometown of the mother who abandoned her, in order to find out more about her roots. Along the way, she begins to learn more about the world at large, with this odyssey allowing the film to touch upon subjects including homelessness, addiction, sexuality, identity, and loss of innocence, among others. This journey also brings her into contact with other cannibals including Lee (Timmy C.) who has his own tragic backstory and who provides guidance, compassion, and love for Maren, and Sully.
Oh Sully.
The movie takes its biggest step into the horror realm through the character of Sully. Sully is mysterious, ambiguous, and a disturbingly accurate portrait of many monsters lurking in the real world. I don’t want to give too much away, but Mark Rylance deserves some sort of award for how much he made my stomach turn in the brief time he was on screen. And I’m not even talking about when he was eating people!
While this film may be disturbing, it had a point of view that made even the most disturbing scenes feel poignant. That said, don’t choose this film if you’re looking for a campy cannibal romp. Those exist….right?
Rating: 8 out 10 Claire Bears
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If you like this movie, you should also watch: Call Me By Your Name, Thoroughbreds
Streaming: Amazon Prime
With: Timothee Chalamet, Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
Let Me Clarify 