Here’s the thing: you just have to go all in. if you remove yourself even slightly from the film, it plays like a campy comedy. But if you immerse yourself in its universe and its characters, you’ll be rewarded with a film that has gone to great artistic lengths to tell a wonderfully weird tale.
The first thing director Luca Guadagnino (Call me By Your Name) did right was cast Taylor Russell as his leading lady.
She plays her tragic figure, Maren, without a hint of melodrama or any false moves. We start with her as a teenager. She lives alone with her father and is not allowed to do much outside of school. But sneaking out to hang with the other girls who are having a sleepover one night, she lets her guard down.
There’s no easy way to say this: but lying on the floor, relaxing under a glass coffee table with one of the girls, she starts…well, she starts eating the girl’s fingers. Big, bloody chomps. It’s horrific and the blood-curdling screams from the other girls who have just witnessed this are enough to send Maren running out the door.
When she wakes up her father, he already has figured out what happened. Like her long lost mother, Maren is an “eater,” and Dad and she must make a run for it – just taking 3 minutes to gather all their possessions and hit the road.
After turning 18, Dad makes his long planned departure. She is grown. He cannot help her and he will not call the police or mental health workers on her. Instead he leaves a long cassette tape for her to listen to on a Walkman (the story takes place in the 80s, fyi.)
Heading on a road trip, she will encounter a man who, for me, totally makes the movie, in terms of believability: the great Mark Rylance plays Sully, a creepy AF older eater who has found Maren through smell, and teachers her how to live a life finding people to eat, learning to find other eaters through clues and scents, etc.
My god, Rylance is so good that he should be a no-trainer for a Supporting actor nod this year. The only problem is that the character is so chilling that voters might find it too difficult to embrace.
Now, I have totally skipped over the biggest name, Timothée Chalamet, because I just don’t want to write out more plot points. He and Russell have an odd romance and the become road trip partners and as fellow tribe members, have a deep connection.
Whether it’s technically accurate or not, I hate that people use the word “cannibal” to describe the characters because they are not making culinary choices – they are cursed, their lives are dreadful and fraught. Accepting the characters as such makes the viewing experience much deeper.
Guadagnino’s first American film uses familiar bits of Americana – his couple bathe in the golden light of Midwestern sunsets and the roadside gas stations look like the real deal. I was reminded of Badlands, which I’ve seen again recently.
There are stops not to be missed – from a super sleazy Michael Stuhlbarg in a brief scene that gives you the woolies, to a brief encounter Maren has with the mother she never knew. But I leave you to discover the many bits of bravura acting, excellent art direction, and performances that are uniformly astonishing.
Bones and All | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars |Rated R | Gore | In Theaters |
placeholder
“Bones and All” is a sort-of a ghoul variant story but like a vampire movie – only more violent, bloody, and stomach churning. Not since seeing “Psycho” shower, have I had this reaction of almost throwing-up. Therefore, I can only recommend it for those with strong stomachs. As Kyle has pointed out, the performances are all terrific. This road trip is unique and jolting. You definitely would not forget this ride!
J. Morris