“Bones and All”: Purposefully Disgusting?
A review by Kat Nitti
Illustration by: Gab K De Jesus https://gabkdejesus.com/
As I was browsing the descriptions of the movies being screened at the 2022 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the topic of cannibalism did not turn me away at all from buying a ticket for the screening of Luca Guadagnino’s film “Bones and All”. When it comes to gore in films, I tend to be able to tolerate it by distracting myself by deliberating in my mind how the filmmakers executed the scene. Like many other film and effect enthusiasts, I do not see blood and guts; I see red chocolate syrup and balls of rubber. However, this knowledge of visual effects did not protect me while viewing Guadagnino’s disgustingly constructed, intimate scenes of cannibalism. Having never eaten a human myself, I could not say whether these effects were entirely realistic- but they definitely felt that way.
Personally, the most disturbingly effective aspects of these scenes were the sound effects. Closing my eyes was useless in easing my stomach since it still left me vulnerable to the unsettling squishing and squashing that echoed throughout the theater. At some points, I sat with my hands covering my ears and my eyes squeezed shut. At the worst moments, I genuinely felt afraid I would lose my dinner.
The effects themselves were not alone in contributing to my uneasiness. Throughout the film, the editing and execution of the shots were, at times, mediocre and unsettling. The cuts seemed unnatural, and several moments of broken continuity caught my eye. It seemed as if there was an artistic attempt to challenge the established laws of film, with unique flashing scene transitions that I have rarely seen used in movies of this budget. Honestly, in the end, I could not determine if this attempt to be groundbreaking failed or succeeded. Personally, I disliked these moments of unique editing. It was obvious that they were trying to accomplish something innovative, but perhaps just for the sake of being innovative, and that kind of put me off. I agree that rules in art are meant to be pushed, but in this case, I simply believe it was executed in a way that felt unnatural and non-visually appealing. I was also left to contemplate that this style of editing could have been used on purpose. A movie about cannibalism is likely supposed to be unnatural and non-visually appealing. It is a paradox of sorts; was the movie bad because the editing was bad, or was the editing bad because the movie was good? If Guadagnino was hoping to make people sick to their stomachs in a way no film ever has before, he certainly succeeded.
Although to balance out my criticism, I do have to praise the cinematography of the film. In between the blood and guts, some of the shots were plain gorgeous, and the overall aesthetic of the movie really was stunningly impressive at times. These visually appealing shots made this movie even more of an emotional roller coaster. One minute there was an angelic long shot of two lovers on a grassy hill, and a moment later, those same lovers were devouring a human body. Then, several moments later, the lovers were again beautifully portrayed back on the angelic hill.
Overall, I left this film with what felt like a boulder in my stomach. Personally, I am not too fond of it. Maybe it is simply the negative emotions I felt while witnessing the disturbingly well-executed scenes of cannibalism that I am associating with this movie. Perhaps it was just my dislike towards the writing and story, which is mostly due to a personal preference for entertainment. Both ways, “Bones and All”, in my opinion, succeeded in eliciting a deep disgust within me. Whether this was on purpose and I was simply revolted by aspects of the film that were meant to be repulsive, it is difficult to determine, but either way, my distaste still stands.