Leave it to Suspiria director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich to spin an achingly tender and thoughtful coming-of-age romance between a pair of cannibals with an insatiable need to devour flesh. Bones and All, an adaptation of Camille DeAngelis‘s novel, uses the road trip format set in Reagan-era America as a provocative and macabre means of exploring the monstrous need for survival and human connection.
Maren (Escape Room’s Taylor Russell) sneaks out to a slumber party to bond with new friends after recently moving to town. It derails once Maren succumbs to her overwhelming urge to bite down and eat another girl’s fingers. She runs home to dad (André Holland), and they quickly throw together some essential belongings and flee town before the authorities arrive. It’s not the first time Maren’s compulsion has caused problems for the family. Mom long ago flew the coup, and, after this incident, Maren’s dad abandons her too. Left with a cassette, some cash, and her birth certificate, Maren sets out on a journey to discover her past, causing her to cross paths with other Eaters, including Lee (Timothée Chalamet), that’ll teach her about love, life, and surviving in the hidden pockets of America.
Guadagnino plunges viewers into the deep end with a grotesque introduction to Maren’s particular lifestyle. It’s a compulsion she doesn’t understand though it has been part of her since childhood. The years of repression leave her vulnerable; there’s so much she doesn’t know about herself. Maren didn’t even know there were others like her until she crossed paths with an older Eater, Sully (Mark Rylance), who can smell his kind from a great distance. Sully eagerly teaches her the ropes, including a gruesome meal he patiently bides his time to get; Maren’s survival instincts and drive for self-discovery push her onward.
There’s a listlessness and freedom to how Maren’s journey unfurls despite it being purposeful in direction and aim. Encounters come and go, drifting in and out of Maren’s path, imparting more wisdom about the world and her place in it. Some encounters are brief but unsettling, and some profoundly shape her. That’s Lee, an Eater with sketchy means of feeding his appetite yet pure in heart. Together, their tentative bond slowly blossoms into friendship and beyond.
The cannibalism is provocative and grisly; Guadagnino never shies away from flesh-ripping acts of feeding. The filmmaker doesn’t ease viewers into it; it’s a headfirst plunge meant to shock. It’s a clever, macabre means of isolating its lead characters in their Otherness, slowly succumbing to their human desire for connection and understanding. Maren and Lee are desperate to figure out where they fit in and feel human despite their inability to combat cannibalistic impulses. Russell and Chalamet infuse their characters with this profound openness and vulnerability that makes the budding romance between their characters all the more touching and genuine.
Guadagnino keeps the era understated. There’s a desaturated palette befitting of small town, backroad Americana; this version of the ’80s is much more dusty Midwest than neon nostalgia. It lends so much texture that makes this soft-spoken yet violent world so lived in and rich. A love story anchors the narrative, but it’s one that highlights the hardships of survival. Sometimes, it’s mundane, like trying to keep the vehicle in working condition or finding shelter. At other times, it’s trying to find an effective yet ethical means of flesh-eating.
Bones and All makes for a sumptuous and sensual feast. There’s a matter-of-factness to the gore, and cannibalism will likely repulse mainstream or unsuspecting audiences. But beneath the viscera and grue is a tender and affecting tale of first love and discovery. It’s as elegant as carnal and carnivorous, and it’ll take a bite out of your heart if you let it.
Bones and All releases in theaters on November 23, 2022.
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