Bones and All ending explained: Maren finally becomes an eater

The Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell-starrer Bones and All is directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by David Kajganich.

The romantic horror flick is inspired by Camille DeAngelis's 2015 novel of the same name. The movie premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival and was released theatrically on November 18 of the same year. Here's the official synopsis as per IMDb:

"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 otherness."

Guadagnino has also produced the film with Theresa Park, Timothée Chalamet, Marco Morabito, David Kajganich, Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Lorenzo Mieli, Gabriele Moratti and Peter Spears.

What's the plot of Bones and All?

Bones and All is set in the late 80s. It follows a teenage girl named Maren Yearly (played by Taylor Russell) who sets out on a journey through the country, where she meets a carefree guy named Lee (Timothée Chalamet). The two go on this trip together and slowly fall in love. However, they are both hiding a secret: that they are cannibals.

How does Bones and All end?

Towards the end of Bones and All, both Maren and Lee have decided to settle down together and are living in an apartment. However, a cannibal named Sully comes back from Maren's past and tries to wreak havoc in their lives. Lee shows up and tries to save Maren, but during the tussle, Sully stabs Lee.

As he nears his death, Lee requests that Maren eat his entire body. Maren obviously refuses this request. The two share a kiss, and after a while, she changes her decision. Maren then starts licking off all the blood around Lee. After that, the camera cuts to an empty apartment room, suggesting that she ate her lover, cleaned up the entire place, and left.

The film was marketed as a love story of two cannibals. Throughout the story, we follow a couple drawn towards those who show them what they wanna eat. This means that Lee knew that Maren would be satisfied if she ate him. It might be a reason why she made that request. Maren was also against killing anyone for her meal. So in the last moments, Lee's request was harmless as she just had to eat a dying man and didn't have to kill anyone.

The film ends on a tragic note as a love story is abruptly cut short. The two are deeply in love with each other and share their passion for cannibalism. Lee's last effort can be seen as his way of coming closer to her in his final moments. The film's title refers to the eaters achieving their full potential only after they eat an entire person. This is depicted as Maren only eats pieces until the very end, when she has to consume her lover.