In this section of the Colossus Movie Guide for Bones and All, we will discuss the meaning behind the movie’s title.
Why is the movie called Bones and All?
This is one of those films where the title is made referenced in the movie. Maren and Lee cautiously hang out with fellow people eaters, Jake and Brad. Jake talks about reaching the point where you don’t just eat someone’s flesh, but you keep going. You devour everything. Bones and all. Which grosses out both Maren and Lee, as neither had embraced what they are to that degree.
Of course, the implication at the very end of Bones and All is that Maren eats Lee to completion. She consumes him totally. Initially, Maren had thought of such an act as something disturbing, a giving in to the craving and lust she so despised. But with Lee, it’s an act of love. If he’s going to die, he wants to feed her. And if he’s going to die, she wants to make him as much a part of her as possible.
With that in mind, we can turn to the metaphor. The idea of “bones and all” has two meanings. The most obvious being another way of saying “fully” or “completely”. Similar to the idea of someone cleaning their plate. Or fighting tooth and nail. This directly ties back to the above example of eating every bit of someone.
The second meaning is less literal and similar to the idea of taking the good with the bad. If you’re eating something, the bone is pretty much the worst part. But you eat anyway. This can apply to the relationship Maren and Lee have. It wasn’t perfect. But you take the good with the bad; you accept it for what it is. Which extrapolates beyond the Maren’s relationship with Lee and becomes a way to view life. In life, here are these sad, terrible, awful things we deal with. But life’s better when we don’t run from them. When we don’t fear them. When we, instead, make them a part of us. And live to the hilt. All in. Bones and all.
What are your thoughts?
Is there more information about the title that you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for Bones and All? Leave a comment below and we’ll consider adding your thoughts to the guide.
Write a response