Bones and All

What do you get when you join horror and romance in the same movie? You get BONES AND ALL. This movie, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Dave Kajganich, based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis, follows the story of Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman abandoned by her father who goes on a thousand-mile odyssey across America. On her journey, she meets Lee (Timothée Chalamet), a disenfranchised drifter with whom she forms a bond. However, their pasts come back to haunt them and lead to a showdown that will determine if their love can survive the darkness of their otherness.

This movie intriguingly blends cannibalistic horror and romance, while exploring themes of identity, acceptance, and embracing one's truth. Taylor Russell as Maren gives a captivating performance that is both heartbreaking and empowering. Timothée Chalamet's portrayal of a young man trying to find peace in an unjust world is also spellbinding. The script is filled with striking dialogue, and the haunting score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross adds depth to this mesmerising story.

BONES AND ALL is an intense, heartbreaking, and uplifting tale that is sure to leave an impact. It's a must-watch for anyone who enjoys horror and romance, or simply needs a reminder of the power of love. Be warned though - this movie has lots of blood and gore, so it's not for the faint of heart.

Fair to say I went in to this with pretty high expectations (considering I'm a genuine admirer of director Luca Guadagnino, since he made one of my favourite films "Call Me By Your Name") & sadly, as much as it physically pains me to say it, they just weren't met here. You could argue my disappointment is therefore my own fault - because the film endeavoured to achieve something I had not initially anticipated - (& that is a valid countenance to make, to a degree, as I'm judging it from a biased perspective, basing my opinions on what I'd originally envisioned etc.) but quite frankly, upon much rumination... After trying to consider what it was actually trying to do instead - other than tell a frustratingly shallow & simplistic tale about 2 cannibals falling in love - I still remain nonethewiser? Hence, the lack of any discernible purpose (that could justify the gruesome subject matter) irked me somewhat by the time I'd reached the end, as I'd assumed the theme of cannibalism would at the very least be allegorical & used to convey a deeper message to the audience. Alas, it wasn't - as far as I could decipher.

Yes, the movie is shot in a very intimate way, capturing the rawness of the emotions which are experienced between the two leads & the resultant primal nature of their bond - sealed by a forbidden urge neither can control - so I understand the filmmaker's desire to capture a stripped back depiction of "love", mirroring how primitive it is, ironically at its heart... But there's nothing linking that to the viewer (in a developed world) which could result in anything clear or relatable, so the meaning (if there is one?) feels sadly lost. The creative team at the helm therefore may have benefitted, drawing comparisons between the fictional reality & our own, portraying the romance as LGBT+ (immediately drawing parallels, using one controversial behaviour - rightfully - frowned upon by society as an extreme example to contrast it against another, which still isn't completely accepted - perhaps showing how ostracism results in deep connections being made between soulmates who share the same trauma / outlook?) but again, that potential is squandered frustratingly, despite the fact that briefly, it does seem to be headed in that direction - funnily enough, when it works most effectively.

Plus, it doesn't help that Timothée Chalamet's on screen chemistry with the aforementioned male (who has a fleeting role) is ten times stronger than that of which features alongside Taylor Russell; confounding the problem by acting as an immediate reminder of a more fruitful path this could've easily been taken in.

I see a lot of potential here & the possibilities for what could've been are enticing (a commentary on male entitlement, the destructiveness of addiction, or maybe showing how the worst of us have a chance at redemption if we're willing to commit to the idea of our own betterment?) but nothing is ever clear enough to feel satisfying or fulfilling, upon completion... So ironically, we do not enjoy this "Bones & All."

I had high expectations for this film given some of the cast, especially Timothée Chalamet, who never disappoints. I was really excited to see this movie given the controversial and disturbing topic that attempts to combine romance with its horror. I am so frustrated by the fact that I truly believe this could've been "a win for cinema", as a famous critic has stated the movie was. I felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were there, but they didn't make a picture. Like others have said, there were so many plot holes, build-ups that lead to nothing, and cramped scenes with little time to involve yourself in the characters. The connection between Maren and Lee didn't feel believable, nor did it feel like they were given enough screen time to make that happen.

It felt like the director tried to capture too much in 2 hours and it ended up being a scattered slideshow of artsy scenes with gore and confusion. The 5/10 stars I give is for the acting, mainly on the part of Chalamet and Rylance. My other 5 is lost to the direction, editing, and script of the film.

The trailer and hype was 10x better than the movie itself, so all you need to watch is that. This could've been a true masterpiece, and I desperately wanted it to be. I found myself trying to be convinced it was good, but ultimately faced the honesty that it fell through. A chance for beauty, lost to the wind.

Two birds of a feather with a common appetite, living in the shadows with a curse they try to fight, struggle to give in, to temptations that spellbind, an addiction of the mind that leaves them hamstrung and confined; finding others with dependencies more practiced and distilled, whose lives have little meaning, all alone and unfulfilled, helpless and exposed by the hand they've all been played, the promised life and expectations, all diminished and betrayed.

Some great performances but all eclipsed by Taylor Russell who is outstanding as the conflicted Maren struggling to come to terms with who she is and what she can and cannot do about it.

Plot summaries are misleading if they only discuss the good acting and touching love story and leave out the fact that it's all in the context of gory cannibalism. Is that too much to ask? Just tell us enough about what we are considering paying money and taking time to see so that we can make an informed decision. At least IMDB labels it as horror. RT does not, and there is no mention of cannibalism in the plot summary. It makes me wonder If there is more money to be made by misleading the public. The theater was full. Many people were obviously captivated by the story. Some got up and left. We hated it. Walked out.