Bones and All
A young woman embarks on a 1000 mile odyssey through America where she meets a disenfranchised drifter. But all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether love can survive their othe...
The film underperformed commercially against its respectable budget of $16.0M, earning $15.2M globally (-5% loss).
4 wins & 75 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Bones and All (2022) reveals deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Luca Guadagnino's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 11 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Maren Yearly
Lee
Sully
Frank Yearly
Janelle
Jake
Main Cast & Characters
Maren Yearly
Played by Taylor Russell
A young woman discovering her identity as an eater while searching for her estranged mother across America.
Lee
Played by Timothée Chalamet
A drifting eater with a troubled past who becomes Maren's companion and love interest on her journey.
Sully
Played by Mark Rylance
An older eater who attaches himself to Maren, initially appearing helpful but revealing sinister obsessive tendencies.
Frank Yearly
Played by André Holland
Maren's protective father who has kept her sheltered from her true nature before abandoning her on her 18th birthday.
Janelle
Played by Chloë Sevigny
Maren's estranged mother, an eater living in isolation due to her inability to control her urges.
Jake
Played by Michael Stuhlbarg
Lee's abusive father who represents Lee's traumatic past and the violence he fled from.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Maren attends a sleepover like a normal teenage girl, trying to fit in with classmates. She appears nervous, isolated, watching the other girls interact while she remains on the periphery of normalcy.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Maren wakes on her 18th birthday to find her father has abandoned her. He leaves money, her birth certificate, and a cassette tape where he confesses he can no longer care for her and explains her mother's abandonment. Maren is now completely alone with her secret.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Maren meets Lee, a young eater like herself. After witnessing him kill and eat, she makes the active choice to stay with him rather than continuing alone. They decide to travel together, embarking on a road trip to find her mother. She chooses companionship over safety., moving from reaction to action.
At 66 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Maren and Lee find her mother in Minnesota. False victory: she's found the answers she sought. But her mother is completely feral, chained in an attic, having eaten herself. Her sister explains their mother also ate her own sister. The hope of understanding her nature through family connection is shattered, but Maren chooses love with Lee instead., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 97 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Lee's father dies, and in his grief and rage, Lee completely devours the body - bones and all. Maren witnesses the full horror of what they are. Lee, ashamed and broken, abandons Maren, driving away alone. The dream of love and acceptance dies. Maren is alone again., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 106 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Lee returns to Maren with a new understanding. He says "I want to be with you. I want to be a man who can be with you." They reconcile, accepting both their love and their monstrous nature. Maren realizes that being understood IS being loved, even if you're a monster., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Bones and All's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Bones and All against these established plot points, we can identify how Luca Guadagnino utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Bones and All within the drama genre.
Luca Guadagnino's Structural Approach
Among the 7 Luca Guadagnino films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Bones and All takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luca Guadagnino filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Luca Guadagnino analyses, see Call Me by Your Name, Melissa P. and I Am Love.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Maren attends a sleepover like a normal teenage girl, trying to fit in with classmates. She appears nervous, isolated, watching the other girls interact while she remains on the periphery of normalcy.
Theme
Frank tells Maren about her mother abandoning her as a baby, leaving only a cassette tape. He says "Love is understanding someone, and being understood by them." This establishes the film's central theme: can someone monstrous be truly loved and accepted?
Worldbuilding
Maren's isolated life with her overprotective father Frank is established. She has no friends, they move frequently, and he locks her door at night. The sleepover incident reveals her cannibalistic nature when she bites off a girl's finger and consumes it. Frank has been protecting her secret her entire life.
Disruption
Maren wakes on her 18th birthday to find her father has abandoned her. He leaves money, her birth certificate, and a cassette tape where he confesses he can no longer care for her and explains her mother's abandonment. Maren is now completely alone with her secret.
Resistance
Maren debates what to do with her freedom and her curse. She encounters Sully, an older eater who explains their nature and offers guidance. She learns she can smell other eaters. She resists accepting what she is while simultaneously searching for her mother, hoping for answers and connection.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Maren meets Lee, a young eater like herself. After witnessing him kill and eat, she makes the active choice to stay with him rather than continuing alone. They decide to travel together, embarking on a road trip to find her mother. She chooses companionship over safety.
Mirror World
Lee and Maren bond over their shared nature. Lee represents the possibility of connection despite being a monster - he embodies the theme that love might be possible even for eaters. Their relationship becomes the thematic heart of the story.
Premise
The promise of the premise: two young cannibals traveling across Reagan-era America, exploring their connection while surviving. They share their histories, fall in love, navigate kills together, and experience moments of normalcy between the horror. Romance blooms amid the grotesque.
Midpoint
Maren and Lee find her mother in Minnesota. False victory: she's found the answers she sought. But her mother is completely feral, chained in an attic, having eaten herself. Her sister explains their mother also ate her own sister. The hope of understanding her nature through family connection is shattered, but Maren chooses love with Lee instead.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies as Maren and Lee try to build a normal life. Lee returns home to care for his dying father, confronting his past. Sully reappears, an ominous presence pursuing Maren. Their attempts at normalcy are strained by the reality of what they are. Lee's violence escalates, revealing the impossibility of escaping their nature.
Collapse
Lee's father dies, and in his grief and rage, Lee completely devours the body - bones and all. Maren witnesses the full horror of what they are. Lee, ashamed and broken, abandons Maren, driving away alone. The dream of love and acceptance dies. Maren is alone again.
Crisis
Maren lives alone, working a normal job, trying to suppress her nature. She is isolated and despairing, haunted by the loss of Lee. The darkness of loneliness and self-hatred consumes her. She exists but does not live, the walking dead.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Lee returns to Maren with a new understanding. He says "I want to be with you. I want to be a man who can be with you." They reconcile, accepting both their love and their monstrous nature. Maren realizes that being understood IS being loved, even if you're a monster.
Synthesis
Maren and Lee build a life together in a small apartment. But Sully invades their home, attacking Maren. In the confrontation, Lee kills Sully but is mortally wounded. In his final act, Lee asks Maren to eat him completely - bones and all - so they can truly be one. Maren honors his wish, consuming him entirely in an act of ultimate love and acceptance.
Transformation
Maren lies alone on the floor, Lee's shirt pulled over her bloodied body. She has been completely understood and loved, and has given that understanding in return. Though alone again, she is transformed - no longer running from what she is, having experienced the full depths of acceptance. The final image mirrors the opening isolation, but now she carries love within her, literally.