Beneath the Gore, 'Bones and All' Is a Delicate Romance

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In the suburbs of Virginia, we meet awkward, doe-eyed high-schooler Maren (Taylor Russell), who is thrilled when she’s invited to a classmate’s sleepover—an unusual divergence from her nights locked in her room by her father (played by André Holland). She sneaks out and joins her new friends for a night meant for gossip and painting each other nails. But, as she lays down next to one of the girls, she's enthralled by her classmate's neck, almost vampire-like. A fierce hunger pulls Maren in closer and closer, until she bites down on her classmate's finger, devouring it to the bone. She immediately rushes home, blood-soaked from what she's done. Without knowing it yet, Maren has always been on the run.

On her 18th birthday, Maren’s father abandons her, leaving behind her birth certificate, some crushed dollar bills, and a cassette tape. The tape holds a recording of her father narrating the origins of her uncanny appetite, which she’s had from a young age and supposedly inherited from her mother. With nowhere to go, Maren commits to locating her absent mother. Along the way, she meets other “eaters” for the first time, including Lee (Timothée Chalamet), a scrawny, cheekbone-gifted, fragile drifter. Together they road trip across America’s midwest looking for answers and maybe even a place to fit in.

Luca Guadagnino’s (Call Me By Your Name) first film set in the U.S., Bones and All, adapted from Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name, delivers a dark coming-of-age tale of two outcasts bonded by an overpowering appetite for human flesh. While it does have its horrific moments, it’s not a horror film. It's not concerned with shock value; instead, it uses its time to empathize with an impossible love story between two teenagers coming into their own when no one’s watching.

Before meeting Lee, Maren is poached by Sully (Mark Rylance), a creepy-drooling-old man (and eater) who claims he smelled her from miles away. Sully takes her in and mentors her for a night, showing her how to use her nose to detect other eaters and feeders. When he asks what she smells after she suspects an almost dead body near them, she describes the stench as metallic, tangy, not rotten, but close, almost like vinegar in a soup.

But Maren’s odyssey doesn't really start until she ditches Sully and meets Lee at a convenience store, captivated by his red curls or perhaps the eater smell sweating off of him. She tells him right away that she doesn't hurt people.

“Famous last words,” he answers.

Their brief introduction was enough for her to take off with him in a blue pickup truck, their home for the next few months.

Their road trip leads them through the open terrains of states like Ohio and Nebraska, discovering old dinners, campsites, and abandoned farms. It’s intimately captured by talented cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan—and lyrically accomplished through the atmospheric score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Though, it’s the nostalgic soundtrack of Joy Division, KISS, and New Order that transports us to the ‘80s. Stylistically, the world built around the pair is perfect for them to coexist in.

In many ways, they mirror each other; Lee says it feels like he’s looking at himself when he sees Maren, but they differ in their approach. Lee is carefree and generous, with hidden demons he can’t control, while Maren is careful, naive, sensitive, and in tune with her gut. After they both ingest a man Lee seduces, Maren’s moral compass keeps her from eating her fill. They learn the young man is possibly a new father with a wife waiting for him at home. Knowing this ethical dilemma will always be a part of their lives as eaters, Lee says, “How dare you make this harder.”

The film’s overall mystique would sink without its talent. The eaters we meet along the way, like Mark Rylance and Michael Stuhlbarg, fill their supporting roles with conviction. Chalamet, who reunites with Guadagnino, does his role justice—in all of Lee’s intensity, fragility, and of course, cutting jawline. However, Rusell shines as Maren, whose innocence transcends the screen and provokes the viewer’s empathy. Although Maren satisfies her hunger at another person’s expense, she does so against her morals—a constant battle Russell conveys profoundly through her performance. She’s menacing, delicate, and a little delusional, but not dumb. Her survival instinct protects her from some real weirdos, whether it’s not getting in Sully’s van or sleeping with a knife close to her chest.

Though imperfect, Maren and Lee are easy to root for. Their sincere connection is a balm to their wicked cravings. Besides the whole eating humans thing, they’re still teenagers in how they rebel, kiss, go to carnivals, talk about each other’s “first time,” explore new towns, lay on the grass, and play pretend until life gets real again. Chalamet and Russell’s chemistry feels as tender as the flesh they devour. Even as the credits roll, you can’t help but feel for the characters you invested two hours in.

While both characters move with a looming darkness, their romantic desperation and delusion decide their next move: mediocrity. “Let’s be people,” says Maren. “Let’s be them for a while.” Months pass, and they’ve started over in a new city, doing normal people things as though nothing ever happened. This ends terribly for them, but in a twisted way, it also brings them closer together.

Bones and All is a heartbreaking coming-of-age story that is earnest in its delivery, almost making you forget its alarming palate—almost. It joins two misfits who find a home within each other when they can’t find it anywhere else. It’s as nasty and squeamish as Suspiria, but if you can stomach the gore, under all the blood is a poetic tale consumed by its own romantic idealism.

Bones and All is now playing in theaters.

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