If you’re looking for the coming-of-age movie of 2022, here it is. Yep, stop re-rewatching Lady Bird and Waves and go see this because it will knock your bones off! Bones and All is directed by Luca Guadagnino, most known for his 2017 work Call Me By Your Name. The director is known for his documentary style and gut-wrenching storytelling which are definitely seen here.
Bones and All is set in 1988 and follows young Maren (played by up-and-coming star Taylor Russell). The film follows Maren as she deals with her father’s abandonment in the middle of the night, and the adventure she goes on to find her mother and discover why she left her as just a baby. As the film progresses, the audience also watches Maren explore her relationship with her newfound friend Lee (played by Timothée Chalamet). But there’s another aspect that drives the plot even further and pushes past the normal teenage angst. What is it? Well, you’ll just have to watch. Or, you can get a sneak peek in this article, so this is your spoiler warning!
Maren and Lee (and other characters, as we find throughout the movie) are cannibals. Their whole lives, this desire of hunger drives them to eat people. As they get older this flame can even drive some to eat someone bones and all (Woah, they said the title of the movie).
This horror aspect leads me to the first part of the movie that I love: the appeal of a coming of age/romance with an added horror aspect! Yes, Maren is a young girl experiencing high school and her relationship with her parents and especially herself, but the added factor of this power she is juggling is so interesting. It truly pulls the audience in, with a relatability factor, while not feeling like something overdone or even something you’ve seen before.
This movie is an anomaly. The varying shot styles, like the quick clips zoning in on a feature rather than just zooming in and staying on the same frame, display when our main character is growing into her powers, and coming more into herself. As well as the chemistry between these leads, and how well they play these parts! Russell and Chalamet both perfectly reflect these characters individually, as well as a combined aura of the relationship they are building. It is executed perfectly. This movie’s camerawork, casting, writing, and score all come together to combine and mesh perfectly into a well-executed ‘on the edge of your seat while tears brim’ feeling.
Moving on from the individual characters and going more into the plot, it was very surprising to me how lacking, per se, the gore was. I would say the goriest part is the first scene when she reveals to the audience her powers, by biting a girl’s finger off, and the last scene in the apartment. Disturbing? Absolutely. But nothing too gut-wrenching, thank god. I also enjoyed this, because it gave us just enough to keep it interesting, explain the powers, but also allow the audience to focus on the plot. This is what is so great; it is so much more than just a scary movie!
As I’ve touched on, I would highlight Bones and All as a predominantly coming-of-age movie. Maren’s dad abandons her early in the film and she grew up without a mother. When she does find her grandmother, it’s revealed she blatantly wants nothing to do with her. All this build-up highlights the lonesome feeling she’s had throughout her childhood trying to hide her powers and the guilt that has come with all of it. She just wants to not only understand herself but be okay with who she is. This notion is something every teenager (or anyone really) can relate to: not fully understanding themself. The unique thing with this film is Maren has this whole part of her identity that is this mystery, that she has to go further in life to better learn about but the idea of that is a double-edged sword for her.
There’s a line in the film when Maren and Lee are driving late at night, after eating someone who they then realized had a family. At the sight of the family pictures, and a home with a wife waiting for her husband to come back, Maren begins spiraling. This is a real breaking point; she had this guilt towards her powers all her life through hurting others, making her father cover up her bloody messes and the looming question of why her mother left her. Once she meets a few people like herself, including Lee, who seems so unfazed by it all, she takes on the same feeling. Until this; hitting her like a ton of bricks, that breaks open the floodgate again and causes her to say, “…About being in front of yourself. It’s too much. Oh God, 60-70 years of this?”
I know the idea of themes and genres overlapping in movies is not particularly novel, but this quote has stuck with me for weeks after my viewing. It’s just jarring how such a simple statement perfectly intertwines her feelings of the rage she internalizes for being herself and the existential dread of having to live with yourself. Yes, things can change like where you live, who you’re with, and even what you look like. However, who you are will always have a piece that stays the same. You have to deal with yourself, no one else can take that on.
Bones and All is (one of) the best movies of 2022. A coming-of-age romance that allows the audience to reflect on multiple themes like adventure about identity, and chilling thoughts ranging from ‘did she eat him, bones and all?’ or ‘did I ever give my parents a reason to abandon me?’ and being a carnivore. It’s simply a must-watch, and if you’ve already seen it, it’s definitely a re-watch.
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