"Bones and All" Review

"Bones and All" is a drama-horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino. It tells the story of Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman who embarks on a cross-country road trip to find her mother, accompanied by a young man named Lee (Timothee Chalamet) as the two gradually grow closer over the course of the journey. An additional wrinkle? Both of them are cannibals known as Eaters! Yes, the two main characters, as well as some others they meet along their trip, have a taste for human flesh. This film is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The film is simple in terms of plot, because the film is driven by the growing relationship between Maren and Lee as well as Maren reckoning with the horrific effects of her cannibalism. The performances are what truly elevate this film, with Maren's vulnerability and empathy for others despite her urge to eat humans being wonderfully encapsulated by Taylor Russell. Lee, as a more worldly young man, is also perfectly portrayed as a conflicted, troubled yet quietly accepting of all the things he had to do to sustain himself as an Eater. Mark Rylance also gives an amazingly disquieting performance as Sully, a particularly creepy Eater who Maren encounters repeatedly throughout the film. The framing of the scenes depicting cannibalism in action, with all the blood and gore that entails, while undoubtedly horrifying, are also bizarrely artistically rendered, which speaks not only to the skills of Guadagnino as a director, but also to cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan.

"Bones and All" is an excellent horror film with romantic drama elements but it works equally well as a romantic drama that happens to have horror elements. The fusion of genres is pitch-perfect, with its focus on its troubled protagonists who happen to be cannibals epitomizing this strange, bloody, yet oddly mesmerizing blend. This film might not be for everyone, especially for the more squeamish, but it is a very compelling watch and I really recommend it if you can have the stomach for disgusting scenes of cannibalism mixed with a road trip romance.