Bones and All

"Maren" (Taylor Russell) sneaks out of her home to visit her girlfriends one night only for one of them to discover that she has a peculiar appetite - and I'm not talking sexually! Forced to flee with her father, who subsequently abandons her, she decides to try to track down her mother. A few bus journies later, she encounters the enigmatic "Sully" (Sir Mark Rylance) with whom she shares a snack and from whom she discovers a little more about her nature. Still, he makes her very nervous so she continues her journey alone where next she encounters "Lee" (Timothée Chalamet) after an altercation in a grocery store. He also has the same nourishment predilections and so the two start to bond. He helps her with her familial quest before an unexpected visitor throws quite a spanner in their plan. At times this is little better than a derivative road movie. The characterisations are all just a bit too contrived, and the narrative is hardly original - but, that said, there is a quirkily spooky performance from Sir Mark - who looks like he would not be out of place half way up an Alp and Russell offers a reasonable effort as the conflicted and confused young woman trying to reconcile her innate desires with her aspirations as a woman. Chalamet presents us with one of his more natural and charismatic performances here, even if - shirtless for much of it as he is - he still makes me want to force feed him a bowl of fries (indeed the title could have been applied just to him!) Lots of dialogue, too much really, but the story has layers of complexity to it surrounding issues of identity and purpose - especially amongst the American young, some fine photography and it plays the accruing sense of affection between the youngsters without cringing sentimentality before an ending that seemed a little unnecessarily brutal. I suspect this may get better with another viewing.

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition "Bones and All holds committed, chemistry-filled performances from Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, telling a complex, interpretive story about true love and what we really need to survive. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' score shines and is the work's greatest chance of receiving an Oscar nomination, taking into account the shocking approach to cannibalism - it partially affects the connection with the protagonists - and horror aspects. A thought-provoking screenplay by David Kajganich and unrestrained direction by Luca Guadagnino elevate a film that deserves to be seen - and felt - on the big screen." Rating: B

A beautiful and intense coming of age story

Creepy. Gruesome. Very good. I'd totally recommend <em>'Bones and All'</em>. I found plenty of enjoyment across the just over 2hr run time, despite plenty of unsettling moments scattered in there. I personally found the first half stronger than what follows it, though all in all it's a movie I had a positive time with. Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, two actors who give impressive showings in this 2022 production. Russell kinda outshines Chalamet in parts, but the latter does come up trumps with some strong emotion near the end. One thing's certain though: Mark Rylance is the star of the show, for my money at least. What a performance, loved every second of him being onscreen. Simply the perfect actor for the role of Sully! A well made film, props to 'em for sticking with the creepiness of the story too. I mentioned recently after watching <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/saltburn/" rel="nofollow">Saltburn</a>'</em> that I was disturbed. In that sense, well, that was child's play compared to this! Big fan of these sorta flicks that make you feel uncomfortable.