‘Bones and All:’ an underwhelming bore

Cannibalism movie proves mundane, dull

Fair use from MGM Studios

Fair use from MGM Studios

Cece Jensen

Human kind finds cannibalism to be morally wrong. Lee, from the new film “Bones and All,” disagrees. This movie follows the story of Lee (Timothée Chalamet) and Maren (Taylor Russell), two young adults who happen to be devout cannibals. They jump from town to town, looking for people who would be best to eat. The two main characters eventually fall madly in love with each other and form an unbreakable bond. 

This story begins in 1988 when we see Maren, the main character, in high school. She gets invited to a sleepover one day and sneaks out of her house in the middle of the night. Once she arrives at the sleepover, she ends up biting off and eating her best friend’s finger. Maren immediately made a break for it and escaped the scene of the crime. We find out a short while later from Maren’s father that she has had cannibalistic tendencies all throughout her childhood. One morning she wakes up to a tape left by her father saying that she will ever see him again. Maren then sets out on an adventure in hopes to find her mother, whom she has never met. 

Maren then comes across another “eater” (cannibal) on her journey, a young man named Lee who she met at a small town grocery store. They immediately hit it off and begin their adventures driving across the country together. Along the way they have their ups and downs, but their commonality of cannibalism is what keeps them so close. 

The filmography of this movie was quite unique. I thoroughly enjoyed the prolonged landscape views and the close up shots of the actors’ faces. This added a certain depth to the movie that couldn’t be added in any other way. 

Quite a bit of this movie consisted of the two main characters driving around, which got a bit boring. There were just too many scenes of them sitting in their car doing nothing. They continue driving around the country until they eventually find Maren’s mother. A woman named Janelle who admitted herself into a psych ward for having uncontrollable cannibalistic urges. 

This movie was co-produced by Mister Timothée Chalamet himself. This was his first ever movie producing experience, so perhaps I can blame some of the averageness of the movie on his lack of experience. 

I must admit that I was bored for the majority of this movie. The plot was a bit bland and there was no real excitement until the very last scene. However, I must give some credit for the unpredictable ending. I would not watch this movie again, but I would recommend it to someone who enjoys a dark love story. 

“Bones and All:” ★★☆☆☆