In this section of the Colossus Movie Guide for Bones and All, we talk about themes that help us understand the film.
The themes and meaning of Bones and All
Acceptance
Maren’s entire character journey is finding a way to live with who and what she is. Part of that process involves coming to terms with her father’s departure, her mother’s rejection, and the complicated morality of how she and Lee survive. And part of it will also involve the circumstances with Sully and Lee’s death. Symbolically, her eating Lee, bones and all, is an act of internalizing her life up to this point. And part of that acceptance is acknowledging the bad and the good. The negative and the positive. The bone and the meat.
Loneliness and understanding
We don’t meet many other vampire-like cannibal people. Maren, Maren’s mom, Lee, Sully, Jake. But there’s a clear dichotomy between the ones who live in isolation and the ones who find camaraderie. Maren’s mom isolated herself and ended up chewing off both arms (and a leg?). Sully isolated himself and became a crazy loner who obsesses over Maren simply because Maren showed him the slightest degree of kindness and compassion. Lee and Maren were adrift until they found each other. And while it wasn’t always perfect, it was better. Then Jake had an eater-by-choice companion, Brad. To be fair, Jake and Brad seemed weird. But they were absolutely better than Maren’s mom and Sully. So Bones and All encourages people to (cautiously) seek out connection rather than rejecting the world. There are others out there who will get what you’re dealing with, will appreciate you for it, love you for it. Just give yourself an opportunity to find them.
History
Maren spends much of Bones and All trying to understand her past. First, it’s the tape her dad leaves her that’s full of anecdotes and information Maren never knew. It gives her a clearer idea of her childhood and why her life has been how it is. Then there’s the conversation with her adopted grandmother. There, Maren learns more about her mother. And finally, Maren encounters her mom and the letter her mom left. These three events all help Maren gain an understanding of herself that she had previously lacked. The information doesn’t magically change her life, but it gives her some closure to where she can start looking ahead in her life.
The theme of history is reinforced by both Lee and Sully. With Lee, it’s how much his role in his dad’s death haunts him. The romantic breakthrough between Lee and Maren only happens after he confides in her about his father. By sharing his history, he gains a bit of a future. Then with Sully, it’s the rope-like braid of human hair from people he ate. While Lee and Sully struggle with emotional aspects of the past, Sully carries with him a very physical reminder. Then, of course, Sully himself is a part of Maren’s past and keeps coming back and impacting her life. He’s the embodiment of this theme of history and how things from our past can really come back to haunt us.
What are your thoughts?
Are there more themes you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for Bones and All? Leave your comments below and we’ll consider updating the guide.
Write a response