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With six feature films under his belt — in horror, documentary, romance and comedy — director Luca Guadagnino brings together a culmination of his themes on young love and self-discovery in his seventh endeavor, a cannibalistic love story titled “Bones and All.”

A film set in 1980s America, “Bones and All” stars Taylor Russell as Maren Yearly, a teenage girl who feels lost within her own identity. She’s unable to control her temptation to eat raw, human flesh.

To make a long story short, Maren is an “eater,” the film’s term for a cannibal. You can tell by the first few scenes of the film that she’s a threat to a more “normal” society — her father locks her up at night, and they’ve moved frequently in the last few years. Her mother isn’t in the picture, but she doesn’t know why.

From the very start of the film, you experience the alienating environment Maren lives in. She’s done feeling disoriented and confused, and that’s when, after a horrific night at a sleepover with a few of her classmates just one week into attending her new high school, she decides to run away from home. On the road to find her long lost mother, she stumbles upon a whole society of eaters who are either there to comfort or completely terrorize her.

But above its horror film elements, the core of “Bones and All” is a road film, a movie that begins with a character going on a road trip, and teen love story that ties everything together. The journey in road films, which also include “Paris, Texas,” “Touki Bouki” or “Badlands,” eventually alters the protagonist’s life, for better or worse, and brings the film to its beginning, middle, and end.

At the start of her trip, Maren meets Lee, a rebellious and uncontrollable drifter played by a ghoul-like Timothée Chalamet. He’s an eater as well, and Maren uses him for transportation to continue traveling south.

They’re both at an emotional crossroads with their identity, whether it has to do with family or their belonging in the real world. Over the course of their escapade, their love for one another increases, and the small love affair gradually builds up into something bigger than they could’ve ever imagined.

Luca Guadagnino has been around the industry for more than twenty years, and has proven to be more versatile than most filmmakers in his generation. The maestro behind 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name” and 2018’s remake of “Suspiria” is no stranger to adaptations, and with “Bones and All,” he’s able to bring about all his films into one, big collage.

A lot of Guadagnino’s themes have to do with the epicenter of loneliness, and how to face the darker side of one’s existence. The Reagan-filled backdrop of the Southeast and central regions of the United States help the film achieve its sense of loneliness and alienation.

As Maren and Lee trek from state to state, the rural landscape is a character in itself. The incredibly unique cinematography, shot by newcomer Arseni Khachaturan (in 2020, he shot “Eyimofe,” a Nigerian film that I highly recommend), emphasizes that. Khachaturan gives the film a lot of authenticity as well.

Visually, a lot of the film is centered around close ups and medium shots that provide a more intimate look at our characters and production design. It’s highly effective and personal, giving “Bones and All” the honest landscape that it deserves.

A lot of people may feel mixed about the editing style of this picture — a combination of Hitchcockian choices and Tobe Hooper jump cuts. But with these exchanges of tone, Guadagnino’s style is at a peak, exemplifying the auteur’s ability to adjust to varying storylines and atmospheres. The score, done by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, is a great addition into capturing the dread of the characters’ surroundings.

Already showing artistic promise in films like “Waves,” Taylor Russell’s performance is a confirmation of her star-like abilities, carrying the film towards its beautiful and horrifying climax. Hypnotizing and quite brutal, the character of Maren is a character who’s unable to process the conflicts and troubles that surround her and overtake her soul, and it’s only Russell who could provide that with such ease.

The supporting cast, including Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny, steal their scenes with a comedic touch to their horrifying personalities on screen. Their performances are almost like bigger cameos, appearing in no more than three scenes each. But, while lasting no more than a few minutes, their impact on screen is enough to completely terrify you.

The weakest link in “Bones and All” is easily Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Lee. At this point, Chalamet is playing an off-brand version of himself with each and every new picture, and it’s quite difficult to change your perspective as an audience member into thinking he’s playing someone else.

When he dances as Lee in the few scenes he does, all you see is Chalamet in every Instagram video you’ve been forced to watch of him dancing on some sort of red carpet. When he says his lines, you can’t help but hear him say the exact same thing he’s probably said in “Lady Bird” or “Beautiful Boy” but with a different plot.

Chalamet has become a repetitive icon who’s genuinely unable to change his complexion. Luckily, his distractions don’t intrude on the overall ambience of the film, which is still a fresh and stimulating “coming of age” piece that is executed excellently by Guadagnino’s work, his crew and the rest of the cast.

Structurally unique and visually captivating, “Bones and All” is a refreshing take on the cannibal subgenre in horror films. Displaying an intense array of gore and violence to showcase the troubled world of our protagonists, Guadagnino’s singular style is purified and specific, adding another gem to his already stacked filmography.

“Bones and All” is set for a wide release on Nov. 23.

Published on October 24, 2022 at 9:09 pm