Life in the 80s, beautiful landscapes, and Timothee Chalamet romantically involved with someone who may or may not be a cannibal. No, this isn’t Call Me By Your Name, it’s director Luca Guadagnino’s latest feature, Bones and All. This horror-romance is not Guadagnino’s first delve into either genre but it is his first attempt to combine the two. And a successful attempt it is. 

Bones and All is a slow film with a few exciting moments that will have you chewing your nails. The cinematography is stunning but felt almost like a slideshow of breathtaking scenery to me. In a film so full of terror and love, the landscapes we enjoy seem disconnected from the story, serving as a backdrop for the two leads, rather than an expansive land for them to explore and connect with. The score and soundtrack are nothing to write home about but certainly add to some of the more jaw-dropping scenes of the film.

But the main thing people want to read about when deciding whether or not to view a film are the characters and the story. Taylor Russell does a good job of playing the naive Maren but is clearly still emerging as an actress. It’s also no fault of Russell’s that her and co-lead Chalamet have nearly zero chemistry as a couple throughout the film. Chalamet continues his typecast career thus far as an annoying teenage boy and delivers a performance that is simply underwhelming. Having seen his ability to act in last year’s Dune and the aforementioned Call Me By Your Name, it’s slightly disappointing to see him fall back into what feels like a supporting role. The actor who really steals the show is Mark Rylance. Rylance is a highly talented actor with many more years of experience than the younger leads and it shows. Every scene with him is tense and perfectly paced, leaving you hungry for more. 

Overall, Bones and All is a good film. I wish the film had focused more on horror than romance but in the end it all comes down to preference. It’s definitely a film worth checking out and I give it 3.5 severed fingers out of 5.