VENICE 79 REVIEW: "Bones And All" by Luca Gadagnino

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Cannibalism as a metaphor for queerness in its most allembracing form is the basis for Bones and All Luca Guadagnino’s love-fused exploration of outsider angst set against a detail-perfect 1980s America. Based on Camille De Angelis’ 2015 young adult novel, the script by regular collaborator David Kajganich
(Suspiria, A Bigger Splash) makes no bones about how it wants to be read, realized by Guadagnino into a visually rich, deceptively straightforward story whose horror elements, while hardly underplayed, are conceived as instinctive and inescapable rather than something to shock.

The director’s uncanny sensitivity to his surroundings, whether outdoor or interior spaces, is once again on full display and it’s something of surprise to grasp that this is his first film shot in the States given how thoroughly he knows the psychological impact of each location.

BONES AND ALL VERDICT: Luca Guadagnino again proves his understanding of the yearning for a fellow soul that defines all feelings of difference in this beautifully played road trip movie which uses cannibalism as metaphor. Number of recent “art house” horror films using the genre to toy
with concepts of transgression and belonging, Bones and All will be avidly consumed by
international audiences, not least thanks to the charismatic coupling of hot newcomer Taylor Russell
(Waves) and Timothée Chalamet.

Some directors seem trapped in teenage stories because they either think they’re “down” with
the kids or haven’t come to grips with the fact that they’re no longer in that category themselves
but Guadagnino’s interest comes from a more generous place.