``Bones and All'' An R-rated movie for adolescents who can't shake their feelings of loneliness

Metaphor of “cannibal”

As mentioned earlier, the movie ``Bones and All'' is a major adaptation of the original novel. Therefore, there are a number of differences between the original story by DeAngelis and the film by Guadagnino and Kajganic. However, if there is one decisive difference, it would be the meaning of the act of "eating someone."

In the original story, Maren eats boys who are sexually interested in her and approach her. When the two of them are alone, they try to gently press their lips together, but in the end, they quickly fall prey to each other. On the other hand, Lee's act of ``eating'' has a different meaning than Maren's. This becomes clear later in the story, but he has his own ethics and chooses who he can eat based on those ethics.

On the other hand, in the film version, for both Maren and Lee, the act of ``eating'' and sexual love are inextricably linked. For example, in the opening scene, when Maren was having a friendly conversation with his friend, why did he bite her finger? When Lee approaches the amusement park staff, what kind of act will he deliver the final blow? It was not accurate to just write "sexual love" earlier. Whether it's Maren or Lee, homosexual and bisexual motifs are always present.

“Bones and All” © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All rights reserved.

Guadagnino and Kajganic are both openly gay men. In an interview about the film, Kyganik revealed that he was born and raised in rural America in the 1980s and that he felt in danger because he was gay. “If your identity is maliciously known to the wrong people, you could be attacked, killed, or even killed. Your life could be ruined. That's what I felt."

However, just as the act of ``eating'' in DeAngelis' original novel has multiple meanings, the act of ``eating'' in the movie version can be interpreted in many ways. Kajganic admits he drew on his own personal experience, but he doesn't say it's the only answer, and director Guadagnino offers a different interpretation. And Chalamet, who plays Lee, has a different interpretation from the two. It is this breadth that gives this work its richness as a film.

R-rated movies for adolescents