Harefooted Halloween: Bones and All

What I Liked: The cannibalistic tendencies of this group called “eaters” isn’t overexplained.  We’re given enough information to know what the deal is and then we’re sent on our way.  These folks are born with the disease/condition/mental illness/supernatural ability and must consume human flesh.  They can have regular food as well but the desire for people meat only grows stronger the older you get and if you abstain for too long you tend to go crazy.  Magnificent straightforward premise.

Wonderful natural performances from everyone but of course Taylor Russell (Escape Room: Tournament of Champions) as Maren and Timothee Chalamet (Little Women (2019)) as Lee are the heart of the whole thing.  They both have to run the gauntlet where they’re trepid, suspicious, sorrowful, angry, confused, hurt, worrisome, anxious, joyful and madly in love.  It’s difficult to pull off a fraction of the emotional states the roles call for and they nail each and every one of them.  Maren is new to being on her own fending for her survival out in the world so she doesn’t know who to trust.  When she meets Lee she can sense they have the same affliction and that he could be someone she can befriend.  Lee meanwhile has been moving around solo for a while so he knows the ropes.  He takes Maren under his wing and they form a bond during their journey that develops beautifully and gets tested at every turn.

This is shot and edited very nicely.  Cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan captures both the gorgeousness and dinginess of the American Midwest.  Landscapes look stunning while towns look rundown and grimy sometimes.  I appreciate editor Marco Costa letting scenes breathe even during tense moments.  Just hearing the characters munch away while showing the victim’s personal effects drives home that this was a human being with a life that has plainly been reduced to sustenance for others.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross turn in another delightful soundtrack.  With the plucky acoustic guitar and synths it kinda sounds like a cross between the Brokeback Mountain score and Tangerine Dream.  It accents the young love of the leads and the turmoil beneath the surface very well.

Another thing I appreciate is how subtly 80’s the film is.  Most of the time a period piece feels the need to announce on a bullhorn the decade they’re in which is always distracting.  Here the outfits, haircuts and other trappings are stated matter-of-factly and it’s such a breath of fresh air.  The only pop culture reference we get is 80’s era Kiss when Lee puts on “Lick It Up”.

What I Didn’t Like: Minor complaint but if you’ve seen a few movies before it becomes sorta obvious what the final confrontation will be.  And even though it comes across a touch tacked on you do need the finale to satisfactorily wrap up the story.  Without it something would certainly feel like it’s missing.  Shout out to Mark Rylance (The BFG) by the way who plays the fantastic creepy older eater.  There are flashes when you think he might be ok but your gut tells you there’s something sinister about this sonuvabitch.  At the same time he’s a pathetic creature who’s been on his own too long and is desperate for companionship.  Great performance.

Overall Impressions: Man, what a cool take on vampirism.  I can’t think of anything else that’s quite like it.  It’s first and foremost a romantic drama with just a sprinkling of horror and killer-couple-on-the-road vibes.  I wanna say you could take away the cannibal stuff and it would still work with little changes but I’m not so sure.  It’s the overpowering drive to eat people that causes Maren and Lee to live on the fringes of society and murder so it makes them sympathetic and you forgive them.  Killing purely for the sake of it or for money or a car or whatever wouldn’t have the same emotional payoff.

This is a damn good script executed masterfully by Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria (2018)).  I’m curious about the book now of the same name this is based on to see how similar or different it is.  High level horror like this doesn’t show up very often and is always a fascinating experiment.  Films like The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Ringu and The Lighthouse also blur the line where you can’t be sure if supernatural stuff is occurring or if the characters are losing their minds.  The material ends up having a somewhat hazy dream-like quality where you’d like to question everything you’re seeing.  But if you allow yourself to slip into the stream you’ll be rewarded with a unique viewing experience.

Probably the biggest draw for this picture is less the premise, as intriguing as it is, but rather Maren and Lee themselves.   They’re cool dudes who are lovely to hang out with for two hours and you wanna see how their relationship progresses.  If they were simply drifters with no place to go and no one to turn to but each other that would be enticing enough.  But throwing in the complication of the necessity to feed on human flesh raises this to another level.  How does a couple navigate a world with a fucked up hang up like that?  You should definitely check this one out.  And maybe keep a few tissues on hand, or napkins.