All Consuming Devotion
Cannibalism is the act of one person consuming another. It’s a gross, unromantic image, one saved for scenes of horror and murder. But what if it can be seen as the most romantic thing one can do? What is devotion if not obsessive, violent, and all-consuming? Is there a greater act of love than to be completely part of the beloved, to be taken apart and absorbed in their system forever? It is a love that knows no boundaries.
Throughout history, fictional media has used cannibalism as a symbolic device to explore the darker aspects of human connection. Cannibalism is primal in its act of consumption for survival. Whether portrayed in literature, cinema, or folklore, it can act as a representation for an uncontrolled desire, one deep in the subconscious mind. In this way, one can see it as the ultimate form of intimacy, leaving no part unclaimed.
The 2022 movie “Bones and All,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, encapsulates this concept in its mixture of the romance and horror genres. In the film, cannibalism is not only necessary for the characters’ survival but also a representation for love. The cannibalistic scenes are deliberately uncomfortable and repulsive yet inevitable. These moments are a shameful but uncontrollable and necessary part of them. The two protagonists, Maren and Lee, meet and bond through the trauma of their shared burden: the necessity to consume others to survive. It has caused hatred from their parents, their isolation from the world, and the pain they have to cause others in order to survive. The two find a bond and relationship out of fighting for survival while feeling deep shame and loneliness, their common language.
Their romance, while brutal, unconventional, and harmful to everyone around them, only strengthens their relationship. The viewer roots for them in a way one shouldn’t for those so monstrous. The romance is so young and endearing that it is only the sound of skin tearing and bone crunching that brings one to the reality of who they really are, but in their world they have no choice; their love cannot be sweet and gentle.
The title “Bones and All” hints at the ultimate act of devotion in their world. In the film, the phrase comes from the event that is defined by two other lovers Maren and Lee meet in the movie as “when you eat the whole thing, bones and all.” They explain it as “like your first time,” a phrase often referring to a first love or physical intimacy. In the messed up world they’re forced to live in, this is the most loving gesture one can do. It leaves no part untouched, no part of them hidden from the other. For one lover, it allows them to love the most purely, ensuring the two can no longer exist separately. It incorporates them into their entire being, fused not just emotionally but physically. For the other, it is a final act of devotion, giving themselves up as sustenance, a dark but rational act for those who don’t understand how to love in a healthy or reciprocal way.
Yes, cannibalism is gross and uncomfortable, but those aspects are an inherent part of human desire. By being exercised as a metaphoric device, it forces the person consuming the media to confront their own desire for companionship and connection. Their desire to become those they love, to leave no separation. When digested and a part of the human body, one’s love can remain untouched by change or flaws, and the two can remain together for all of time. The most beautiful thing in the world.
“I want you to do it. I want you to eat. Bones and all. It’s beautiful… just love me and eat.”
Written by Gracie Streetman, Photography: Quentin Deming, Design: Emma Palmer, Social Media: Shreya Tiruvidula, Styling: Colin Lu