Bones and All (2022) spoiler free review

Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis the film follows Maren and Lee, portrayed by Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet respectively, as a couple of young cannibals doing a road trip around the country. Starting as friends and then developing to a romantic relationship Bones and All takes the audience to a unconventional romance journey and the search to understand what they really are.

Maren, a young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society.

Film synopsis

The cast also includes Mark Rylance as Sully, André Holland as Frank Yearly, Maren’s father, Michael Stuhlbarg as Jake, David Gordon Green as Brad, Jessica Harper as Barbara Kerns, Maren’s grandmother, Chloë Sevigny as Janelle Kerns, Maren’s mother, Anna Cobb as Kayla, Lee’s sister, Jake Horowitz as Lance, a carnival worker whom Lee picks up, and Kendle Coffey as Sherry.

My opinion

Back in 2016 I saw the French horror film Raw (2016), that follows a woman in veterinary school and develops a desire for the flesh. The film takes the cannibalistic aspect and elevates to an artistic level making in one of the best horror movies of that year and the 2010s. Bones and All does the same but adding the romance aspect. The protagonist Maren meets Lee in one of her stops in her roadtrip to Minnesota. Realizing that he’s also an “eater” she decides to stick with him and eventually they both develop feelings for each other.

Throughout their journey the encounter other eaters and we see them killing and eating people. Compared to other films about cannibalism Bones and All is not as graphic as expected. Still, the story is able to bring the shock factor in the most gruesome scenes. The film is a slow burn that will keep you interested until the very end but for some it can turn boring and tedious. The ending scene is heartbreaking but necessary to give closure to Maren and Lee’s journey as eaters and their relationship. If this is the type of horror that you enjoy don’t miss the opportunity to watch this artistic cannibalistic story now available in theaters.