Bones and All

As a massive admirer of Luca Guadagnino's work, it saddens me to say that Bones & All is disappointing.

Even though the cinematography and atmosphere are beautiful and what you would expect from the visual master, the film suffers from tonal shifts and a very talky script that is only saved by a fantastic turn by Mark Rylance. His menacing presence is the feature only redeeming quality.

The narrative is overstretched by a terribly slow pace reinforced by wooden dialogues between lovers that don't have much chemistry to begin with. Timothée Chalamet is clearly miscast as his sweet and soft demeanor don't match with the supposed danger and inner violence of his character.

Star of the show, Taylor Russell is beautiful and haunting. She also carries much of the movie on her frail shoulder. But the underdeveloped family moments and repetitive travel adventures don't help to build much of her personality. So when we get to the core horror aspect of the movie it mostly fails. Most "gory" moments are contrived, shoehorned inside the romance. They are too few, tonally all over the place and end up underwhelming.

After the masterful Suspiria, I was really expecting Guadagnino to deliver on the horror front but I think he got sucked away by the gorgeous landscapes and forgot to build up tension or fear. Bones & All ultimately ends up being a tiresome teen romance road trip interrupted by bizarre gory scenes. I will just rewatch Kathryn Bigelow's masterpiece "Near Dark" which I think would have been the perfect inspiration.

Plot summaries are misleading if they only discuss the good acting and touching love story and leave out the fact that it's all in the context of gory cannibalism. Is that too much to ask? Just tell us enough about what we are considering paying money and taking time to see so that we can make an informed decision. At least IMDB labels it as horror. RT does not, and there is no mention of cannibalism in the plot summary. It makes me wonder If there is more money to be made by misleading the public. The theater was full. Many people were obviously captivated by the story. Some got up and left. We hated it. Walked out.

Before I start this review, I have to admit I have a soft spot for Luca Guadagnino and his directing style, which really speaks to me on an emotional level.

The movie is not perfect, but I enjoyed watching it, as to me this mixture of gory horror and on the road romance is quite new.

The plot is quite thin and the pace of the movie is slow and indefinite, but to me this is not negative: in the two hours of screentime I was never bored, and I sort of felt like I was on the road along with the protagonists.

The lead actors were really good, and in my opinion this was one of the best performances by Timothée Chalamet, whose chemistry with Guadagnino is undeniable. I think he was particularly suited for this role, because his innocent face and body perfectly communicated the nature of his character, conflicted between his monstrous instincts and his good heart.

The best performance was anyway delivered by Mark Rylance, whose creepy character Sully was great for keeping the tension high throughout the whole movie.

I really loved the poetic atmospheres of the road trip scenes, so typical of Guadagnino.

The negative aspects that can't be denied are the poor development of the characters, which makes it hard to root for them, and the quality of the dialogues, which are often shallow.

Personally I didn't appreciate the ending scene and the related dialogue especially.

Despite some negative specs, I would absolutely suggest seeing it, if you don't mind some pretty gory scenes.

What do you get when you join horror and romance in the same movie? You get BONES AND ALL. This movie, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Dave Kajganich, based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis, follows the story of Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman abandoned by her father who goes on a thousand-mile odyssey across America. On her journey, she meets Lee (Timothée Chalamet), a disenfranchised drifter with whom she forms a bond. However, their pasts come back to haunt them and lead to a showdown that will determine if their love can survive the darkness of their otherness.

This movie intriguingly blends cannibalistic horror and romance, while exploring themes of identity, acceptance, and embracing one's truth. Taylor Russell as Maren gives a captivating performance that is both heartbreaking and empowering. Timothée Chalamet's portrayal of a young man trying to find peace in an unjust world is also spellbinding. The script is filled with striking dialogue, and the haunting score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross adds depth to this mesmerising story.

BONES AND ALL is an intense, heartbreaking, and uplifting tale that is sure to leave an impact. It's a must-watch for anyone who enjoys horror and romance, or simply needs a reminder of the power of love. Be warned though - this movie has lots of blood and gore, so it's not for the faint of heart.

Two birds of a feather with a common appetite, living in the shadows with a curse they try to fight, struggle to give in, to temptations that spellbind, an addiction of the mind that leaves them hamstrung and confined; finding others with dependencies more practiced and distilled, whose lives have little meaning, all alone and unfulfilled, helpless and exposed by the hand they've all been played, the promised life and expectations, all diminished and betrayed.

Some great performances but all eclipsed by Taylor Russell who is outstanding as the conflicted Maren struggling to come to terms with who she is and what she can and cannot do about it.