Bones and All

i don't write reviews, but bones and all is so many things all in one movie and it masters them all beautifully. to me, it's romantic, harrowing, tense, intimate, sorrowful, and disturbing. in addition, it is shot absolutely beautifully and the color grading is a bonus. makes each shot feel old, worn down, and nostalgic. i had the pleasure of watching this alone in the theater when it premiered and it instantly became my favorite. i finally watched it again 3 years later and it holds its place. i even noticed things i didn't on the first watch. the story between the main characters is romantic, harrowing, heartbreaking, and aching. the last 30 minutes are my favorite, so i will focus on that. when the main couple, maren and lee, who have never labeled their relationship are left with no way to continue driving, they settle down together. in contrast to the 2 hours we watch of their relationship grow, they are only able to play as a normal couple for about 5 minutes of the runtime. shortly after, the rug is pulled and they fall back into the despair they both tried so hard to escape, never being able to have the simple, normal life they both had been craving. it's heart wrenching. "i want you to eat, maren. just love me and eat." on second watch, i realized that it was lee's time to go, he no longer had a reason to live, and likely maren's last time eating, ever. she fulfills lee's dying wish as shots of their once briefly peaceful home over the sounds of eating. it's disturbing yet deeply sorrowful and intimate. the shot of lee's necklace under the bed being his only remain hits me hard. we are granted one last beautiful shot of the couple, alone yet together, in the field in nebraska. the endless expanse of the grass sprawls out in the background as maren and lee embrace each other, the only place where they were truly free.