With his 2017 adaptation of Call Me by Your Name and 2018 remake of Suspiria, director Luca Guadagnino has shown himself to be a genre master. Now, he returns by mixing and blending all kinds of genres with his latest film, Bones and All.
Based on Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name, the film takes viewers on a road trip through 1980s America during a sweltering summer with two cannibal lovers, Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothee Chalamet), as they search for Maren’s mother (Chloe Sevigny) and spark a whirlwind romance. Guadagnino does a great job blending romance and horror through his direction right from the start. There’s a great sequence with Maren that initially carries some good romantic vibes that warm your heart and entrance you in some loving gazes until you’re left shocked and horrified by a sudden bloody turn that goes full-blown horror. It’s a key moment and Guadagnino crafts an incredible horror world for fans of the genre to gush over.
A good film adaptation of a novel brings its world to life in vivid fashion. A great one does that and makes you instantly want to buy the book just to further explore its world. Bones and All fits the latter distinction, as the mythos, characters, and concepts of its cannibal world are undoubtedly fascinating. As Maren goes off on her own after her father (Andre Holland) abandons her, she starts to come across more cannibals like her and the film does a great job exploring different mentalities, tactics, and culture within this hidden sect of humanity. The conversations her and Lee have with others are absolutely fascinating and the whole idea of Lee and other cannibals having their own survival systems adds some deep history to their stories.
Guadagnino’s strong delivery of horror doesn’t just stop with the world-building either, as there are plenty of blood-spilling and grounded terrors that make for an uneasy road trip. It should be no surprise that a story of two cannibals traveling across America would come with some stomach-churning gore, buckets of blood, and some skin-crawling sound design. Like he did with Suspiria, Guadagnino once again does a great job putting an artistic, tasteful, and visually striking spin on his horror to make for sharply gut-cutting moments and terrifying visuals. The blood and gore barely compare to the more grounded horror, though, as it truly makes for a terrifying road trip movie.
Some of the people they come across, like the old and manic eater Sully (Mark Rylance), add their own unique brand of eeriness to scenes. The discoveries they make about Maren’s mom are legitimately disturbing and the final reveal of the fate of Lee’s loved one is a finale gut punch no one will see coming. Plus, the voice recordings of Maren’s dad talking about everything leading up his departure and the flashes of Lee’s past constantly create unsettling moments that keep a lingering sense of horror around these characters. Even the name “Bones and All” has a darker and more dour meaning to Maren and Lee’s story and Guadagnino excellently helms a true horror epic.
The greater parts of Bones and All, though, are how Guadagnino manages to maintain the romantic coming-of-age elements amongst the horror. At its core, Bones and All is able to be equally romance-driven as horror because Maren and Lee are incredibly complex and compelling characters who share a genuine bond that’s elevated by Russell and Chalamet’s incredible performances. It’s no surprise that Chalamet and Guadagnino reunion means that Chalamet performs at his best, balancing the more charming and darker shades of Lee’s character incredibly well. Lee is an immensely compelling character that really emphasizes the film’s main debate about the morality of its characters and the dark secrets he harbors make for a thoroughly intriguing arc. He’s as charming and protective as he is cutthroat and vicious and Chalamet make it all captivating to watch.
Like Chalamet, Russell is equally an incredible rising talent who delivers one of her best performances to date as Maren. Maren totally drives the ongoing questioning of their morality and lifestyle as she’s new to this world of cannibalism. However, she’s much more than just an audience surrogate. Rather, Russell’s performance adds good emotional depth to her personal story and trying to understand why she’s like this. Every part of her arc is incredibly connective and splices in some great humanity in this flesh-eating and inhumane world.
Not to mention, Russell and Chalamet have this magnetic romantic chemistry that keeps your heart locked into their story. Their romance feels fated in a great way and it’s awesome how their personal arcs and journeys feel intertwined, making for a tale of two coming-of-age stories that tug and tear at your heart. Also, because it needs to be said, Rylance’s performance as Sully might be his most enjoyable and wildly engaging to date and is the kind of “out there” performance you just want to see get an Oscar nomination.
Horror has been a dominating force in film this year and now Guadagnino has provided the genre with legitimate Oscar contender that excellently blends genres, features plenty of standout performances, and presents a unique horror world that’s elevated by great storytelling and an amazing vision. Bones and All is an absolute masterpiece of genre filmmaking.
