Bones and All – Film Review

Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Writing Credits  – David Kajganich (screenplay by), Camille DeAngelis (based on the novel by)
Cast – Mark Rylance (Sully), Timothée Chalamet (Lee), Taylor Russell (Maren)

We meet Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman who has just arrived at a new school and is trying to make friends. She is invited to a sleepover party by one of the girls in her class. She sneaks out of her house and arrives at the sleepover. The young women are painting their nails in a variety of colours. When one of the girls shows Maren her newly painted finger, she cannot resist taking the finger in her mouth and biting down hard!

You see, Maren is an ‘eater’ and as we all know, there are two types of people in this world, eaters and non-eaters! Yes, she’s a cannibal but it’s a bit like being a vampire but without the blood lust, as eaters like a bit more protein in their diet. Eaters can smell the presence of other eaters, as they’re not quite human at some level. They’re a sub-species of some sort who feel the need to chow down on an average human every once in a while, and as Taylor Swift almost said, Eaters gonna Eat.

The film is told through the eyes of Maren played by Taylor Russel. She’s very impressive in the part and it might well be a breakthrough role for her. She will be known to some for playing Judy Robinson in Netflix’s Lost in Space series. It takes well over ten minutes before Lee (Mr Chalamet) even makes an appearance. From this point on, the two are largely inseparable, as Lee shows Maren the ropes. They travel across the midwest for a variety of reasons, occasionally supplementing their diet with a local resident. Mark Rylance is also enjoyable as the otherworldly Sully, occasionally adding a touch of menace to the story.

The film is based on Camille DeAngelis’ debut novel of the same name which was published in 2016. The novel won the Alex award, which celebrates “books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18”. Despite the cannibalism, there is a hint of Twilight in the air, with this story of young love in rather difficult circumstances. There’s also a feel of road movies like American Honey, as well as the obvious comparisons of Natural Born Killer and Badlands.

Many will be put off by the thought of a film about cannibals, but really these are supernatural creatures of some sort. They exist in the realm of fantasy, as should the more horrific scenes in the plot. There are occasional moments of gore but much is left to the imagination. It’s a film that will definitely get a discussion going and will last long in the memory. It’s not quite a classic but there is enough originality and invention on display to demand your attention throughout.