If a story about a pair of two young, hungry lovers devouring the flesh from a still-warm body that one of them has just killed sounds like your cup of tea, Luca Guadagnino’s (Call Me by Your Name, I Am Love) Bones and All is the movie for you. If a plot line that revolves around cannibalism revolts you, this would be a hard pass. In either case, if there’s one December. 2022 release to skip the concessions on, that film is Bones and All.
Our lead protagonist, Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell – Words on Bathroom Walls, Waves), seems like your typical 18-year-old high school senior residing in an unknown Virginia city. But Maren has a secret. One that forces her father to move her from city to city and state to state, always attempting to stay one step ahead of a possessed behavior. She’s a cannibal and one who cannot resist her urges. An in at a sleepover in which she bites and chews off the finger of a new classmate forces her father to up the two again from their current residence in a trailer park when she comes running home with blood covering her face and close. He tells Maren that she has three minutes to grab whatever she can before they must flee. This isn’t a new experience.
Upon arrival in a city in Maryland, Maren’s father abandons her, leaving her a taped recording of how he can no longer protect her from her urges, citing examples of her past behavior, reminding Maren (and informing us) of the specific details. The film takes place in the 1980s, before the advent of cell phones. Maren decides to cross-country to Minnesota, where she believes her mother is. On her travels, she encounters Sully (Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies, The Trial of the Chicago 7), a fellow cannibal, some 40 years her superior and with more vital skills than her. He has the ability to smell a fellow cannibal, and that’s how he knew she was one. He is particularly odd, if not altogether creepy. He can also smell death and can determine that there is an older woman who has fallen in her nearby home. Knowing that she will not be able to get back to her feet and will soon die, he takes it upon himself to “feed” while inviting Maren to join in (which she does).
I’ve already stated too much in this review and haven’t even mentioned Lee (Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name, Little Women). Lee is also a cannibal and, like Sully, can detect other cannibals. The two begin a romantic relationship, feasting together on multiple occasions. However, they want to abandon this lifestyle and use their budding relationship to help them resist their urges during difficult times.
The film tells a familiar story. Our demons, whether innate or self-created, can often control us. We can only suppress them before they rear their ugly heads. Some of us can sometimes rely on a substitute to relieve us from these demons temporarily. For some of us, this might be permanent. For the majority, it might be nothing more than bide time.
his fits the bill in a year that continues producing original movies. It could be more crisp in its story, sequencing, or its ability for us to feel a connection with its lead characters. Some will enjoy this, maybe even quite a bit. Critics (84%) favor it more than audiences (66%). For me, Bones and All is ultimately a miss and makes it difficult to recommend.
Plot 5/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 6/10
Acting 7/10
Screenplay 6/10
Directing 6/10
Cinematography 7/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 5/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
66%
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