Bones and All – Movie Review (5/5)

BONES AND ALL is a new horror, drama, romance hybrid. Or to be very specific, it’s a cannibal love story. With a twist of a coming-of-age plot in a very different manner. Read our full Bones and All movie review here!

BONES AND ALL is a horror drama with a twist of both romance and coming-of-age. The most obvious comparisons are Let the Right One In and RAW which we also loved here at Heaven of Horror. Personally, I also felt it had quite the Doctor Sleep vibe. In a very good way!

Taylor Russell is perfect in the lead while Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, and everyone else in this movie delivers amazing performances as well.

Just to be clear, even though this is a horror drama, it does get very brutal and bloody. Like you would expect from a movie featuring cannibalism. You won’t even have to wait long before the first “taste” (pun intended).

Continue reading our Bones and All movie review below. Find it on Digital and On-Demand now.

The most relatable cannibalism movie ever

For Bones and All to truly work, you need to forget that you’re watching a movie about cannibals. The fact that they refer to themselves as “eaters” probably helps a little. But still, even if zombies are called “walkers” in The Walking Dead, we still know it’s a zombie story.

In this movie, however, both the coming-of-age and romance element makes this a much larger story. It allows the audience to focus on the characters instead of this one strange trait, they have.

As already mentioned, RAW is an obvious comparison, which is (of course) due to the eating of raw flesh. Then comes the comparison to Let the Right One In, and that’s due to the father-daughter relationship the movie opens with a focus on.

Finally, for me personally, Doctor Sleep is the final reference, I feel is strongly relevant. This comes from the comradery (or at least understanding) between eaters when they meet one another.

Not all friendly encounters, but there’s something to learn from it, and the instant recognition is intriguing.

Such a stellar cast

In order to not focus on cannibalism too much, the cast is all-important. In Bones and All the cast consists of many actors who have worked with the director before. This director works with realism and human nature in a way that I simply adore.

People react in real ways and when they cry, there may be snot everywhere because crying isn’t pretty. I like that. Well, not the snot in particular, but the more direct and realistic approach to characters being real people.

Taylor Russell (Escape Room 1 & 2, Lost in Space on Netflix) is breathtaking in Bones and All. And I say this as someone who was still a bit on the fence about her. Well, not her, but I was never too thrilled with the characters she played. Or the way she was made to portray them rather.

With Bones and All, I feel like I’ve finally witnessed what she’s truly capable of. Now I can’t wait to see much more of Taylor Russell. Working with both Timothée Chalamet and Oscar-winner Mark Rylance works brilliantly as well. And, not least, Chloë Sevigny.

Other supporting characters are portrayed by André Holland, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jessica Harper, and David Gordon Green (yes, the director of the latest Halloween trilogy).

Watch Bones and All on-demand now!

The director of Bones and All is Luca Guadagnino. If you’re familiar with this director, then you’ll be able to see that immediately. Luca Guadagnino also directed the critically acclaimed (and popular) Call Me by Your Name and horror fans will know him from the 2018 Suspiria remake.

The writer of the screenplay is David Kajganich, and it’s based on a novel by Camille DeAngelis. I have not read the novel, so I can’t speak to how direct the adaptation is. But I can say that this movie made me want to read the book, which has instantly landed on my Goodreads want-to-read list.

Also, if you have an issue with the cannibalism element, then just think of them as vampires. Or maybe think of them as addicts. Hell, you can even think of them as people with the same mental illness.

Whatever makes you give Bones and All a chance because this movie is absolutely amazing!

BONES AND ALL is out on demand now!

Details

In Theaters: November 18, 2022 (select), November 23 (everywhere)
On VOD: December 13, 2022
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Script: David Kajganich
Cast: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Jessica Harper, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Gordon-Green, Francesca Scorsese, Chloë Sevigny