Bones & All

Directed by Luca Guadagnino - 9/10

Riding a wave of success after hit films Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria (2018), Luca Guadagnino’s highly anticipated Bones and All is undoubtedly one of the strongest additions to his filmography since he broke into the mainstream. Walking the line between viscerally disgusting and satisfyingly intimate, Bones and All earns its spot as one of the best films of the year through its odd tranquility and mesmerizingly meandering storytelling. 

Bones and All follows Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman whose disturbing self-realization leads her on a hazy journey through the backroads of middle America accompanied by an elusive young man named Lee (Timothee Chalamet). Bones and All’s disturbing conceit is treated in a surprisingly mannered way. It is noticeably aestheticized, almost to a fault, but it's audiovisual neatness never undermines the visceral disgust that is underlying in nearly every moment in the movie, as middle America’s underbelly is examined through a subtly supernatural lens.

The film’s weak points are few and far between, and are exclusively limited to poorly timed needledrops and occasional dialogue cliches. But any unfortunate moments are entirely undercut by the incredible performances. Taylor Russell’s leading role is perfectly cast and accented by Timothee Chalamet, who’s acting style is best demonstrated when he exists as a canvas for a leading actor to build their character upon. However, Mark Rylance’s supporting performance as Sully is easily one of the best I’ve seen all year. His soft-spoken horror divides our feelings between pity and disgust, and his final scene is one of the most genuinely disturbing moments in film this year. 

As the characters traverse the sprawling landscapes and abandoned rural industrialist towns, their journey’s forward all seem to draw them backwards into their pasts. Half James Ivory and half Julia Ducournau, Bones and All dives headfirst into a grotesque but charming portrait of youthful deviancy and romance. 

Bones and All was released on November 18 and is currently in US theaters.