NYFF60: Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Bones and All’ Will Eat Your Heart Out, Literally and Figuratively

Bones and All (2022)
Running time: 2 h 10 m
Category: Drama, Horror, Romance

The New York Film Festival celebrates its 60th year of sharing compelling stories with film lovers and critics in the Big Apple with the festival running from September 30 – October 16. I was honored to gain access to the festival this year and attended a few press screenings; “Bones and All” was one of those screenings I really wanted to see. Romance and cannibalism are not two words I ever thought would be in the same sentence in regards to a movie that I’m sure will become a cult classic, but Luca Guadagnino has done that with his latest work in “Bones and All;” a film that will eat your heart out, literally and figuratively.

“Bones and All” stars Taylor Russell as Maren, a young woman with a certain appetite for human flesh who becomes abandoned as she goes on a cross-country odyssey to find some meaning in her existence. Along the way she meets the seemingly harmless and eccentric Sully (Mark Rylance), who educates her on who she is – an “eater” who enjoys the consumption of flesh – and how she can go about fulfilling her cravings. Maren also meets Lee (Timothée Chalamet), another young eater who has developed some level of control over his compulsion and agrees to aid Maren in her search for belonging. Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, Jessica Harper, André Holland, Anna Cobb, and Francesca Scorsese all have key roles in the David Kajganich adapted screenplay from the Camille DeAngelis novel.

Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet in “Bones and All”/Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc

It was pretty clear what “Bones and All” was going to be about going into the screening. At the time of viewing the film last week, an official trailer wasn’t released yet, so all I had to go off was the first look photos and a brief clip of Maren and Lee having a conversation about their “first time.” I’ve seen and enjoyed “Call Me by Your Name” and “Suspiria,” two of Luca Guadagnino’s previous works, so I was familiar with his style as a director. Guadagnino uses landscapes beautifully as additional characters to the story that make you feel like you’re right in the middle of the narrative. That’s truer than ever in “Bones and All” since it spans the countryside of America during different times of the day really playing with the use of light and scope and how that reflects in the blood in scenes. YES, there is tons of blood in this film. How could it not be with a title like “Bones and All.”

Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet in “Bones and All”/Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc

Timothée Chalamet is proving himself as Luca’s silver screen darling with a second stand-out performance working with the director. Chalamet’s Lee is charming and compelling and makes you sympathetic to his background. Taylor Russell shines on screen as well as a doe-eyed ingénue seeking validation in her existence. The chemistry between Taylor and Timothée is undeniable and electrifies off the screen. They depicted the perfect blend of coyness of first love and had me blushing at the intimacy of it all. I was falling in love with them falling in love. It was so well done it truly makes you forget the pair devoured a man scenes prior.

Timothée Chalamet in “Bones and All”. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc

Taylor Russell in “Bones and All”. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc

Mark Rylance played such an important and unexpected twist in the film. He was a character I thought I liked and could sympathize with, but I ended up despising him so much by the end of the movie. Only a truly great actor can make you fume at what they do on screen and root for their downfall; Rylance was just that.

Mark Rylance in “Bones and All.”Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc

Once the significance of the “Bones and All” title was revealed I knew what was going to happen to Maren. I just didn’t expect it to happen the way it did and that I would be so affected by it. If I watched this movie alone I’m sure I would have cried because it truly was a heartbreaking end to a story about a girl who was seeking acceptance and belonging and just when she finally had it, it was ripped away. The final minutes of the film were truly harrowing from the way it was shot and edited with the intense score coming in blasting and pushing into silence leaving my theater audience completely stunned we all quietly left out the theater once the credits rolled. Overall “Bones and All” went from an interesting film that centered around self-discovery and acceptance to a horror romance that will have you rooting for and empathizing with cannibals.

“Bones and All” comes to theaters on November 23, 2022.

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Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.