(Kajganich also adapted the first season of The Terror, based on Dan Simmons' historical arctic horror novel, in which a boat full of icebound sailors must do the unthinkable to survive while maybe being stalked by a giant creature.) But Bones and All is a far stranger and richer film than the bloody slasher you might expect from reading the description, thanks to its director's haunting and sly aesthetic sensibilities, as well as his screenwriter-collaborator's knack for finding an empathetic and even romantic way of telling the grossest tale.

The news of Guadagnino directing a teen cannibal romance struck many as odd-and darkly fascinating too, given the allegations swirling around a previous Guadagnino star. Then, he fell in love with Guadagnino's ever-growing band of misfits.īones and All, adapted from Camille DeAngelis' 2015 young adult novel, is Kajganich and Guadagnino’s third collaboration, following the sexy and sun-soaked drama A Bigger Splash and the astonishing remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria. Kajganich, a fan of genre storytelling in all its forms, cut his teeth writing horror and thriller fare like The Invasion (a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), Blood Creek (Joel Schumacher's occult Nazi horror film), and True Story (a cat-and-mouse crime thriller). We see her fear and her worry, and we get that with Holland’s performance, though it’s brief in comparison to the time spent with Maren and her mother in the book.For David Kajganich, screenwriter and producer of Luca Guadagnino's newest film, Bones and All, the phrase 'cannibal love story' holds a certain appeal. We learn about her mother losing her job and her opportunities because Maren ate her boss’ son.

Maren’s mother leaving her forces Maren to try to find her once more in Pennsylvania, and it is how she connects with Sully, an older, more experienced eater, and goes on her own journey to find her mother and get answers as to why she is an “eater.” All of it starts with her mother leaving, and we get to spend time with the stress that Maren had caused her.

In the movie, it is Maren’s father (played by André Holland) who is raising her before her need to feed on human flesh becomes too much, and he forces his 18-year-old daughter to go out into the world on her own. In the novel, protagonist Maren’s mother is the one who raises her, and we get to spend a bit more time with them as we learn about Maren’s history as an eater, mixed with why Maren gets on a bus to try to find her mother again in the first place.

Bones and all novel