You know, it’s December, and I feel like the title of my favourite movie of the year is still up for grabs – could this be it? I remember a few years ago having what I consider the best cinematic day of my life, seeing Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name back-to-back with Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, on a hot sunny summer day in the city, not so far removed from the ones we have now 😇 I know, I shouldn’t get too excited, but getting to a see a new Luca Guadagnino movie puts me in a mood to feel good.
Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) lives with her strict father. She’s invited to a sleepover with some other girls from her new school, and sneaks out of the house to attend. But any long lingering looks she shares with another girl, turn out to be something more sinister… You see, Maren is an ‘eater’, and while her father has tried to contain her unusual tendencies, this event proves too much, and he leaves her, with money, and a cassette saying goodbye. Being eighteen and alone for the first time, the only thing Maren can think to do is attempt to track down her birth mother, who left when she was a toddler. Bones and All quickly turns into a coming-of-age road trip movie, as Maren meets some more eaters along the way, and most notably Lee (Timothée Chalamet), living by the seam of his pants; the pair form a united bond.
Because it’s Guadagnino there’s bound to be some excellent directing skill on show, and Bones and All is no different. I really appreciated the use of shadow in shots where Sully (Mark Rylance) shows Maren how to eat, and the bloody gore always makes a resounding impact in an otherwise idyllic movie. The pan over to photos on the woman’s dresser, and across her life, as the pair devour her flesh is a subtle way of humanizing the victim but also the act, as Maren and Sully are constantly aware of the moral dilemma within satisfying their hunger. Stylistically, there are times where this movie feels like a horror I might find by revisiting the eighties, and I was reminded of last year’s Last Night in Soho where I felt the same. Doctor Sleep could also be another noted comparison in scenes that depict how these extraordinary people interact within a grungy world. But the horror elements and budding romance don’t always gel together for me, like oil and water – although, that could be because there’s much more happening on the romance side, and I was intrigued by this flesh-craving condition. I think the best time this movie combines the two genres is in a moment near the end, with tranquil shots outside Maren’s new apartment, while red messy chaos concludes within. I also recall movies like American Honey, or even Nomadland, for their quiet contemplative countryside discoveries, and I think there are other movies out there that do what Bones and All is doing and better – moreover, I always thought M. Night Shyamalan’s early work combined a real life setting with fantasy elements really well, as a big example of movies meshing genres.
Mark Rylance is ever reliable, and the moments of the movie I enjoyed most have him in it. His subtle manner of moving and speaking, combined with his tidy whiteys while the blood congeals on his singlet, is such a mixture of nonthreatening affability and horror; I loved it. But there is something off about him, and I think I might pocket the line where Maren says ‘it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it matters that I feel it’ regarding not trusting Sully, and use it when teaching my niece about stranger-danger. The great Michael Stuhlbarg also shows up for one scene as a wacky redneck, and it’s so funny – gosh, where has this guy been in my 2022? Taylor Russell is fine, much better than fine actually, but as a young black actress, I kept thinking of Jenna Ortega, and I’m worried she’ll get lost in the crowd along with Zendaya and Alexandra Shipp. But we’ll see – good luck to her. Similarly, Timothée Chalamet is doing Chalamet-y things, but as this wild stallion with his chest out, he’s not as convincing as Nic Cage or Johnny Depp would’ve been in yesteryear. Sorry Tim, I still love you too.
I wish the movie had ended with Maren and Lee deciding to be ‘people’, and with us, the audience, left to figure out what that means for them. But a sadder ending was always on the cards, and these young lovers were destined to befall tragedy. Perhaps there’s a bit of Bonnie and Clyde to this story too, with these wanderers travelling and killing across the country, only to end in a puddle of blood themselves. The dream sequences were definitely honed in Guadagnino’s last movie, Suspiria, and at first, I thought I’d bag the ‘exposition-by-cassette’ play, but it’s actually a pretty good idea. I doubt I’ll remember Bones and All as a classic, but it may be a peaceful way to pass some time away, with a few quick bolts of horror thrown in.
3.0
Leave a Reply