Bones and All 

Bones and All is by far one of the best romance movies to be released within the past decade. This is not a normal romance film, for it is a hybrid with a very dark horror that barely scratches the surface. The anticipated first watch for this movie was well worth the wait, watching it months after the release in late November of 2022. It was directed by Luca Guadagnino and based on the 2015 novel written by Camille DeAngelis. Somehow Luca Guadagnino convinces the audience to feel some form of empathy for a self-destructive couple. It is a common art that he includes in his films: he puts the audience under a trance. This spell is to make viewers feel forbidden empathy using real life conflicts without consequences. Guadagnino is known for his 2017 hit film, “Call Me by Your Name”, featuring Timothee Chalamet. Like his recent film, Bones and All, Chalamet stars as an introverted protagonist who ends up falling in love with someone he cannot have. His co-star, Taylor Russel, plays a character who is trying to get through figuring out who she is. Marren Yearly (Taylor Russel) has a craving for blood, not in a way that a vampire would in a supernatural setting, but the smell of flesh is irresistible. The idea of cannibalism is not normal, but throughout the movie Lee and Marren are seeking “eaters” like them, whether they like it or not. This element makes it hard to digest sometimes, as this film contains quite a lot of gore and violence. 

The main character Marren has been abandoned by her father who has to move across the country to escape from Marren’s victims. One of the opening scenes to this film involves Marren acting as a “typical” teenage girl, as she sneaks out the house to see her friends at night. Moments later the camera cuts to a close up scene of Marren covered in blood, and the girl next to her is screaming in horror. Marren ate her finger right off of her hand, bones and all. Diving right into the story, the clear element of conflict is established quickly, which catches curiosity. After Marren escapes the mess she made, she meets another eater, Sully. He states that he could smell her from miles away, which is immediately unsettling, and eventually Marren bolts from him. The plot fully takes off when Marren meets Lee. He is dressed in blood, and Marren knows immediately that he is a fellow eater. In a stolen bright, blue pickup truck they then embark on a cross country journey to find Marren’s mother. 

The two main characters are the outcasts of their hometowns and are both prone to being wanderers, making them untouchables. They are untouchable in a way that once they make a scene, they run for it, and no one can figure out who has done it. The love story behind them is the perfect example of how opposites attract. Lee is a quiet and reserved character, who can keep calm under stressful situations. Marren on the other hand, is very warm and emotional, and she often feels remorse towards her victims. Scenes they make of course, consist of the desperate craving for human flesh, as they kill the innocent they find on the way. The main theme of this book-to-film adaptation is the journey Marren must take to find her mother. Along the way, the audience discovers Marren’s story through tapes her dad had left about her development as an eater. Macabre details told about her childhood are disguised by her journey through the Midwest of America. As she figures out who she is and what “normal” means to her, her eyes are opened to a whole new world.

This movie was shot in a classic, mesmerizing way. Viewers are distracted from elements of horror by the beautiful shots of rolling hills, empty houses and sunsets on meadows. Sets displayed small-town America, representing a marginalized society that was too real considering the genre of horror. 

It is well- said that movies are nothing without a proper soundtrack, for it should be identical to the story. The soundtrack consisted of many new-wave hits relevant to the time period set in Bones and All, along with an eerie score. Songs such as Atmosphere by Joy Division and Your Silent Face by New Order are perfect matches to the climate of this film: electronic and pivotal with eerie lyrics. 

Overall, I enjoyed this movie and look forward to eventually reading the book. I am very eager to see Taylor Russel’s (Marren) career take off even more, and it would be enjoyable to see her in the heroine role again. Her character was admirable when she was not devouring humans. Marren is very closed off, and her mysteriousness dragged on and left the viewer wanting more. The  theme of romanticizing horror is trending in current films. As gruesome as this movie was, the casual gore and violence draws the target audience in closer. Some scenes were so intense that it was hard to look away. What compels one to have the desire to consume fellow human beings? Not being able to pause or shut Bones and All off is what makes this film so successful. The writer of this novel-turned-script made the characters so loveable that once Lee and Marren sunk into tragedy I felt empathetic. The conformity and values of “normality” to the characters are controversial and provocative, as it is the main theme of the movie. To romanticize horror, means to spark conversation and interest, and I look forward to seeing this trend in future films.