Set in the 1980’s, teenager Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) lives quietly in Virginia with her father, Frank (André Holland), who keeps her locked up at night. When she sneaks out to visit friends, Maren feeds on the fingers of one of them. Frank quickly moves them to Maryland to escape the uproar. As it turns out, this isn’t the first time Maren has done this. She began to show a taste for cannibalism at age three. Until now, Frank had been able to keep these events under wraps, even from Maren herself.
When Maren turns eighteen, Frank abandons her, no longer able to cope with her behavior. He leaves behind a tape that tells the story of her life, along with a birth certificate. Maren decides to make her way to Minnesota to locate her mother. Along the way, she meets eccentric characters who have tastes like hers. Among them are a young man named Lee (Chalamet), who agrees to help her find her way north. The two embark on a road trip of self-discovery that evolves into romance.
One assumes Timothée Chalamet was cast because of his previous relationship with the director, but he’s not a good fit for Lee. Too pretty, there’s no vulnerability in his performance, a characteristic his character needs. Canadian Taylor Russell is charming as Maren, though her characters youthful self-loathing occasionally boarders on annoying. Aspects of the narrative are interesting, but the coming of age twist is never effectively explored. Bones and All avoids any kind of sexual dynamic between Lee and Maren, something that might have given the story some much needed jolt. The cast also includes Mark Rylance as a fellow eater named Sully, who delivers the most ominous performance in the film. bored by the relationship between Lee and Maren, I found myself anxiously waiting for Sully to turn up again.
Bones and All just doesn’t do enough with the story to make you care about the lead characters, or their circumstances.
Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Warner Brothers 1080p transfer is pleasing. Sharpness is solid throughout. There are a few brief moments of softness, but things seem accurate and precise. The films orange and teal palette appears appropriately reproduced. Blacks are deep and inky throughout. Shadows show a nice level of delineation. The image is devoid of any edge enhancement or other issues. Shot well, viewers should find this a solid transfer.
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack adds some heft to the proceedings. A dialogue heavy, subdued film, the track makes the viewer feel like a part of the characters environment. Dialogue is clean, clear and concise throughout, making for an effective audio experience.
English, Spanish, Dutch and French subtitles are included.
The extras consist of five promotional featurettes, “A Look Inside” (2:23), “The Vision of Bones and All” (1:32), “Meet Lee” (2:06), “Meet Maren” (1:32) and “Outsiders in Love” (1:52).
Amounting to little more than EPK’s, these cover familiar ground about the story and characters. Brief interviews with cast and crew, including Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell and director Luca Guadagnino can be found here.
A DVD and Digital Copy of the film are also included.
