In a weird way cannibal girls are a answer to slasher movies. Instead of a victim or final girl, the girl is now the monster. Can be either evil or tragic or both.
YESSS we need more movies that has the predator/antagonist a female!! especially when irl, people dont expect females being a serial killer, attacker or even a pedo...we N E E D more examples of that (not to glorify but to shed light on it and ig warn people and make people understand it more)
The final girl is revolutionary, I mean it's the least a horror movie can do when horror is usually centered around unwarranted female terror, misfortune, and tragedy. But it's such an empowering concept due to luck, smarts, and strength the woman is the last alive of a female-oriented mishap. The fact the men don't usually survive because they are expected to take the danger head on first is also interesting.
Cannibal girls are bizarrely unique. They get feared of, but somehow they're individuals with layers to them that also sets them apart from all the others.
For Bones and All, Maren eats those who have sexual interest in her or deeper inappropriate feelings, like the babysitter getting too close and touchy with child Maren, so Lee keeps a distances in terms of the sexual aspect of the relationship, they are meant to be showing how relationships functions with having to slowly gain trust and dealing with the trauma while figuring out the sexual/romantic side of oneself. Especially as it’s novel an allegory for CSA, Maren being mistrusting and Lee needs to work for the trust even when she pushes him away makes sense. When she finally trusts him, it feels like they are truly understanding each other and they have all the chemistry that you feel was missing. Which makes the ending more heartbreaking. That being said the novel is deeper and shows more of the relationships and also Marens mindset around being a cannibal and young woman.
I think Lee also keeps a distance between them because of his previous relationship. For me personally, I thought that he was weird and distant with Maren because his cannibalism ruined not only the relationship he had, but also her entire life.
I love the intertwining of the "girl becomes a monster" genre and her entering womanhood. That's such a potent connection. And I loved your explanation of Raw. Justine's sexuality coincides with her primal hunger, that may seem pretty confusing but both are indulged in an instinctual manner. One of the most powerful things a piece of media can give a woman is agency. She is not submissive to her urges but she literally becomes them. it takes nothing rom her.
I’m so interested in the differences between Bones and All the movie and the book. In the book, Maren is abandoned by her mother and searching for her father, but ends up finding her mom and realizing that her mother just got… tired of protecting her. Also, after her babysitter, her second attack was a boy who tried to force a kiss on her and the third was a boy who tried to touch her inappropriately. It seems that her sexuality and her hunger were (kinda shallowly) connected beyond that first murder
i want to know your opinions in general about the book! i watched the movie before and read the book after and for the first time like the movie way more. i feel like the book is kind of messy and the writing isnt that great. i hated when she ate lee in the book bc she felt absolutely zero remorse afterwards compared to how shes been torn up about her babysitter for like 13 years. the ending of the book also didnt really make much sense considering her character honestly. imo the movie did a good job of making things better
@@shuichew Oh, I thought the writing of the book was very immature and I didn’t enjoy it at all lol. The use of cannibalism is also very messily handled because it was never clearly defined. I get that it dealt with her relationships with other people, but I do think her babysitter should’ve not been included in her victim list if that was the case OR there shouldn’t have been so many boys assaulting her. Due to that, I have very mixed feelings on Maren eating Lee. I love the trope of “keeping your loved ones with you forever” but Maren’s eating never gave off that vibe to me in the book.
@@ladyblubelimo I’ve always thought that her eating came from some type of negative connection bc all her victims in some way expressed their wants and desires like the babysitter wanted a baby to care for, the boy at the camp expressed his desire for a family and a better future, the boy at the Walmart wanted someone to hold, etc… possibly she envied their chances for a better future, a future where she didn’t have the “burdens” she did
At first glance I saw “c a n n a b i s girls” lol and I was like yeaaaah that’s me! Then I realized it said cannibal girls and I was like oh that’s not me at all
idk i actually really liked the slow pace of Bones and All! knowing the book allegory for CSA, i find the slow development of lee and marens relationship a lot better and more authentic than something rushed. it’s realistic how long it takes her to finally trust him and vice versa
the relationship feels incomplete though. like why do they all of a sudden start showcasing romance when the only thing they connect with so far is their cannibalism.. it feels rushed when it happens rather than a slow burn
I don't know if it's just me... But I find a very close parallel between Raw and Ginger Snaps with a "coming of age" narrative under the surface of sibilings and their power dynamics; sometimes being as close and mirrored when this structure is established you're not gonna be on a safe space while vulnerable... There's all these urgencies taking you out of your path and counting with sombody is not the same as just having somebody around; maybe the bigger person is not going to be the "bigger person"... Very interesting
I was thinking that as well when I was watching that segment-all I could think of was when Ginger said “wouldn’t it be fucked up if I ate her?” With that really intense look in her eyes, that so clearly showed she wanted to. It’s the same inner turmoil of growing into an adult personified as this inner beast that gradually takes control. Good stuff!
Woah, that's spooky that you posted this. I'm working on a book about a girl who becomes a cannibal because of sexual trauma. It's inspired by Jennifer's Body.
I'm super interested in this concept, both as someone who loves Raw and Jennifer's Body and as someone who survived childhood sexual trauma. I hate the unscientific idea that sexual trauma "causes" queerness or transness (and the ideas that homophobic/transphobic people add to that: that resolving that trauma will convert you back to a straight/cisgender person or that trying to get rid of your queer sexuality or trans identity is somehow a viable route to healing from the trauma), but often wonder how my sexual trauma could have played a role in what my sexuality and gender ended up being. I feel like I can't really bring up my CSA history in discussions with most people, though, or they will weaponize it to try to challenge my gender or sexuality, and use it as an excuse to treat me like I'm just a confused straight woman who is too feebleminded and traumatized to be able to accurately understand my own identity, psychology, and sexuality on a deeper level. Even if my trauma had some sort of overwhelming impact on my gender and sexuality, it's kind of stupid to expect it to somehow be possible for me to "change" and revert to the way I was before when I was literally only like 7 years old. I can be happy and healthy and resolve my trauma exactly the way I am as a queer adult and the queer experience I have isn't something I can deny or that I've been brainwashed into. I've healed into the person I am and that probably can't "change" unless I am brutally broken apart and traumatized again, which I really don't want. I feel like these modern cannibalism stories are really interesting for processing a lot of these feelings because despite how cannibalism is not really comparable to queerness at all on a more literal and ethics-focused surface level, they really capture themes of self-discovery, confusion about why you're so different, and existential fear about where you really fit into society that I resonate with as a queer person. I also have not really seen cannibalism explored well from the sexual trauma angle you're coming at it from, because it's often not really the devoted angle these stories are really interested in so it ends up being sort of underdeveloped if it's even explored at all. I really wish you luck and hope you continue to work on this book, because this concept could be explored in a lot of interesting, sensitive, and complex ways. If there's any way I can follow this project or see bits of what you're working on, I'd love to!
I don’t feel like any women goes without a time where they feel like they aren’t really in control of their bodies. You can feel other bodies reacting to you, suddenly you become aware you’re on display, and some people will dine upon your flesh with their eyes. Being corporeal is so limiting bc you are always giving people the cover of your book first, and you don’t have time for everyone to know your story. Especially when you haven’t figured out how you want your cover to look and imply, you’re feeling very much at the mercy of everyone’s eyeballs. Made me want to pluck them out of my own head sometimes, because it wouldn’t be right to pull them from everyone else’s heads bc of MY insecurity, right? Better to blind myself to their looking. This is a universal experience amongst people bc I feel like it’s a natural part of adolescence. Insecurity is assumed in women…but cannibalism as a resistance to insecurity is almost expected in men in many ways. You can only build your manhood by consuming a strict diet of protein shakes and virgin whore-sluts. And then ofc, we all sell our bodies, our time, our lives, to the capitalists at the top. The ultimate forbidden fruit, the rich. What was I even talking about? I’m just sick with insomnia. Wonderful little video.
I'm a little horrified by the summary of Bones and All. In the book, I read Maren's cannibalism as a clear allegory for sexual assault. The first scene we have of Maren's cannibalism (or ghoul-like nature), is when a babysitter (a woman) gets too close and touchy with the child-aged Maren. Her reaction to being a cannibal resembles a victim re-living trauma - she quite literally blacks eating out of her memory. We never see it, we only see the aftermath. Even in the end with Lee, he uncomfortably invades her space after Sully's attacks her. I haven't seen the movie, but to hear that the story is re-interpreted as a queer love story (sexually-charged sleepover, Lee's and Maren's relationship arc) is disturbing.
ooh, I love your interpretation! as a victim of CSA myself, I can totally see the parallels you draw there. I think this is an especially apt reading cuz the only negative feelings Maren associated with those moments were her guilt and shame at being a monster--which is exactly how victims of SA are conditioned to feel in real life.
i totally agree with you now- i loved the movie, i feel like the cannibalism was more of a metaphor for addiction in the movie though. And i never thought about the cannibalism in the book being a metaphor for s/a until now, but it makes so much sense!
it’s always so fascinating to see how people interpret things! viewing it from the perpective of sa definitely would paint maren’s interactions differently. i always saw it as a metaphor for queerness, both in terms of sexuality and otherness. it’s nice that there’s no one way to see the story. even the author said she thought that the film script brought a new depth to her story.
Not to be offensive or whatever (your reading of the book is perfectly valid) but there's a stark difference between what you interpret from the novel vs it's intention. The author, as far as I'm aware, never intended for the novel to be about csa-the novel, at it's core, is intended to be a coming of age story about identity. YOU read the book as a novel about csa (which, again, is a legitimate reading), but it's not the one true reading of the book, or of the movie. Someone who interprets the material as talking about queerness is not doing a "disturbing re-contextualizing" of the story.
I mean this is the way that YOU interpreted the book. But the author is probably the only person that knows what she was trying to say by including the element of cannibalism into her story.
Your views on the movie Raw was so beautiful and spot on ! U captured the message so well and all the symbolisms ! I love Raw as they portrayed women needs/lust in a more vicious and active way. The woman is the predator instead of the prey in this movie. Most of the time women are the ones pursued or taken by the man but in Raw the roles were completely reversed. The scene when Justin was lusting after Adrian during the football match is often portrayed through the lens of a man watching a female. Seeing the tables flip was refreshing and completely relatable ! This movie is truly a work of art as it can be interpreted in so many ways. Some can even say the cannibalistic nature can also be mental illness passed down from generation to generation. For me personally I see it as a way to portray animalistic urges and lust.. I'm so happy u also enjoyed the movie a lot ! Thank you once again ❤️
The first time I watched Bones and All I was not invested in the characters but the ending hit like a truck and made me cry a bit. That confused me how for 2 hours I didn’t care but it was the last 3 minutes that got to me. I tried to read the book and screenplay for any missing context and I would say the screenplay makes up for the lack of romance. I think it’s just the little side notes and dialogue that’s not included in the movie that make you go aww they’re cute. I haven’t finished both but I’m still trying to understand the movie as a whole especially with it’s slight changes. I know from the book Maren would more so eat boys that tried for get close to her/ showed attraction so there’s another way to interpret the story; she could never stay loved? Love isn’t meant for her? It’s hard? There’s so many ideas it’s not set. I do wish Maren and Lee had more moments together in the movie cause he is highlighted as her first love. And damn did that hurt
If this helps any, I interpreted it like loving someone is taking a piece of yourself and a piece of that person to create something new. It's not consumption in the literal sense, but more like not being able to be the same person you used to be and the loneliness/grief of that.
This video reached me at the perfect time haha I just finished reading a book called NightBitch which is about a new mom who slowly develops animalistic urges, canine features, and how she handles turning into the women she never thought she’d become. It’s not about cannibalism but is more about rageful animal-like desires which is what I really love about cannibal movies and stories. Something about letting go and becoming a sort of feral being has always interested me and I think it’s a great way of exploring themes of womanhood/ motherhood etc. also great video love ur content!:)
" When she had referred to herself as Nightbitch, she meant it as a good-natured self-deprecating joke-because that’s the sort of lady she was, a good sport, able to poke fun at herself, definitely not uptight, not wound really tight, not so freakishly tight that she couldn’t see the humor in a lighthearted not-meant-as-an-insult situation-but in the days following this new naming, she found the patch of coarse black hair sprouting from the base of her neck and was, like, _What the fuck._ " What an intriguing hook 💀
I absolutely hate how they switched Maren’s mother and father in the film narrative; it was so much more impactful I felt when it was her MOTHER who abandoned her and her FATHER who passed on this generational curse from his father (who in the book we find out is Sully). The concept of maternal abandonment is way more interesting and character developing for Maren than what they make it out to be in the film, and the story of her fathers first victim is compelling- the whole generational curse thing is more explored too probably. Keep in mind I haven’t actually finished the book version of Bones & All, nor have I seen the movie, but from your synopsis of it (I’m at 25:45) I think the changes they made probably killed the story.
It’s interesting you say that since they made that decision precisely because they “believed that the absence of a mother would have more of an effect on a young woman who doesn’t feel that she can trust her own body. ‘There could be empathy between a mother and a daughter about specifically how this condition sits inside of a female psyche.” I can see an argument for both sides, but I was personally fond of the decision.
My wife has that "cute aggression" thing. She sometimes has the urge to bite something really hard. She often ends up biting herself. It's very few and far between when it happens and isn't as weird as it sounds
The misunderstanding of issue with the "damsel in distress" trope is so rooted in the binary, imo, and how girlboss feminism still enforces gender stereotypes. A man and a woman do not have to be separated and do their own thing, they just have to both be treated as humans who interact with one another (rather than either a brainless damsel or a girlboss who doesn't need men). So, yes, a man can save a woman if he is next available human able to do so and it makes sense in the story.
You are so real for your bones and all criticism. Everyone acted like this was the best thing ever and I thought it was weak as hell. Thank you for spilling.
I think you should watch Lola Sebastians video on Bones and All. I completely disagree with your takes on it. It's maybe done a bit more subtley than Raw, but the deep emotions, the passion, the tragedy, the love is all there. It's just a different take on it. It was such a fantastic movie. And I think it's fantastic too because the focus isn't all on the romance, it does explore and leaves itself open to interpretions around queerness, classism, racism, trauma, addiction, otherness in general.
i love your commentary!! i agree with your views on Bones and All. the book explores their relationship in more depth and i feel like their story flows so much better. i also feel like her voice and point of view on things is so much more relatable in a weird way? (i hope that doesn’t sound crazy) regardless, i was so disappointed when i saw the movie honestly, it didn’t do the hype of the book justice. if you have the chance to read the book i HIGHLY suggested.
Oh god i love cannibalism and how its such a good way to show (toxic) love! Loved the video and your reading on the different ways the movies portray cannibalism and most of all coming of age. Sad to see that bones & all wasnt really for you. I like it in a strange way, it lived rentfree in my head for a month or so. The book is from the girls POV and early on she remembers all her kills, most of them where young boys who had an interest in her, so in the book her cannibalism is more linked to sexual awaking. I havent finished it but do recommend it bc it has so much more substance than the movie
have you watched Hard candy? Its not really related to the video but its one of those movies i think about when people talk about female revenge. I adore your channel btw!! you have so many interesting opinons and views !!!
You are probably too young to remember it, but a great example of cannibalism used in a clever and metaphorical way by a female filmmaker is the 1999 Horror-Comedy Ravenous. Directed by Antonia Bird, there is a strong undertone of homoeroticism, and an even deeper level of criticism aimed at the exploitation of land and indigenous peoples in U.S. history, particularly in terms of Manifest Destiny and western expansion.
great video! i would love to hear your take on yellowjackets since you used clips from it a few times in this video. It's got a lot of interesting themes and I just watched it recently so it's on the mind.
This channel is sooo underrated!! Thank you for your videos, I truly believe that you deserve more recognition for the all work that you put into them ❤
I felt the same way about The Whale and the accusation of fat phobia. The movie wasn't about his eating disorder and his body was supposed to resemble a whale not a human. it's a multi layered movie about a deeply depressed individual Did we watch the same movie?? Like this movie wasn't about Vegans
If you mean Bones and All, the book was apparently written by a vegan and was about veganism to some degree. So that's probably why people apply it to the film as well sometimes.
Its different in European film, but the horror resurgence in America I think It's much like the screen femme fatale of the 80s, 90s: the fear of women, especially following a sudden shift in power dynamics thanks to MeToo and 4th wave Feminism. You always see this kind of stuff, movies that evoke "feminine paranoia" come out of hollywood
I really enjoyed this video! I’ve been interested in this genre of film as it holds a lot depth. I have seen Bones and All in theaters (twice)and do plan on reading the book. I interpreted the film as a journey of self discovery, sexuality, generational trauma, seeking community, and independence.
I know this is an older movie, but I wanted to say something about bones and all. The bond between the 2 lovers imo does not need proof of showing, the bond between them is more “look but don’t talk” sort of vibe to me. She is alone and looking to belong, he innately picks this up from her, and they fall into place like a final puzzle piece. This does not mean that they will express love in the way some might think. Bones and all keeps the emotions they have with the closeness and trusting nature they have for one another. When something happens they on some level, know what to do with the other and already know they will stick together rather than abandon one or the other. Love does not always have to feel romantic. Intimate love can exist in all sorts of forms. At least, such has been my own experience and what I have seen with other friends and family
I’m not sure why, but female cannibalism came to mind when I was watching A Wounded Fawn (2022). It might have been because it felt like everything Fresh failed to achieve except I also felt that the gory aspects were more visceral. That movie made you really feel every wound inflicted on the antagonist in a way that’s similar to how a human can quickly transform into an animal in the tales of Greek myths. Raw also managed to capture that for me; Consuming something raw is associated with messy, “dirty” things like fluids and body parts that are often cut away from flesh when it reaches your plate like fat, ligaments, and “offal.”
I was today yours old when I learnt you are from Russia. Спасибо за это видео, я как раз собиралась посмотреть raw, ещё благодаря тебе посмотрела и показала всем Секретаршу, один из моих любимых фильмов теперь!
I would love to hear your take on the rise of survivalist media and how a lot of it is female centered. Yellow jackets, The Wilds, Class ‘07, Outlast, etc.
I haven't seen the movie, but after hearing your summary of Fresh I think a more interesting ending would be if Anne killed Steve. This would have allowed Noa and the others to escape, while showing a more complex side to Anne's character. I think perhaps Steve could be about to kill one of the girls, when suddenly we hear a gunshot, or he gets stabbed. Afterwards it could be revealed that it was Anne, then there could be a brief, possibly silent moment of solidarity between them
I think this essay could be so much better if it focused more on thematic analysis instead of simple recap and review. I just think a lot of analysis is missing for at least Fresh, the one of the three that I have seen. There's just a lot missing in the parallels like the "give me a smile" and Paul's character, or the Black characters and how they interact with the plot. Or the contrast between the two characters of the antagonistic couple. You should not depend on simple interviews when there's far more depth to be found in the text of any film... There's just a lot of overlooked nuance that made me completely distrust Bones and All's review. I went from not wanting to see it to distrusting this opinion so much that I want to see Bones and All. Overall, I don't think Fresh even belongs in this video. Anyway, giving the essay a like. It was entertaining.
After all of the cannibalism used as gags in cartoons, we got some actually scary representations of it such as Alastor from hazbin and Bob Velseb in spooky month
Thank you so much for uploading !! Always look forward to ur videos !! Thank you so much for discussing my fav movie ever raw (grave) truly means so much to have one of my fav channels discuss my fav movie !
funny bc i lovvedddd bones and all so much so that i read the book and imo the book is kinda bad, and all of your criticisms make sense considering what the original material and i think the movie honestly did a good job w what they had to work with
I'm curious what your thoughts are on We Are What We Are, with the cannibalistic tradition being something that's passed from matriarch to matriarch until the events of the movie where the eldest daughter is pressured by her father to take on the mantle.
i kin Maren so hard, her story is like mine in so many different ways, we also look super similar (im filipina + jamacian + russian so mixed girl with hooded eyes and micro bangs , PLZ RISE UP !!), and i also live in appalachia so the country feel of the movie is so familiar. ALSO a girl from the town like 30/45 mins away from me played as one of the girls at the sleepover i could write on and on about everything i love about Maren & Bones & All, the way she doesn’t change, doesn’t show her love in a convenient way, but her own way.. she’s so mecoded and im so happy that movie was made lol
It’s honestly pretty problematic that the director justifies the male friend abandoning the girls in obvious danger as rational and that the girls need to “prove” that they can save themselves. This can easily translate to men neglecting women’s issues because “it doesn’t involve them” or because they’re not the “bad guy”. MEN SHOULD HELP! When women are at a disadvantage and we face things like gendered violence, we WANT men to step in! It reminds me of the woman who was assaulted by a man with multiple male bystanders not doing anything about it. Like hello, the girls are in trouble??? Why is it their responsibility to save themselves when it’s much safer and easier to have someone from the outside step in? Needing help shouldn’t be seen as disempowering, it’s not the same as being dependent. The problem is how women are put in danger because of men, not that we don’t know how to save ourselves.
I wonder if these stunning and brave writers are ever concerned that their stories of women entering adulthood or embracing their sexuality being inadvertently tied to becoming or embracing being a dangerous and vile monster might be sending the opposite message that is intended. Some overestimate their brilliance or cleverness when injecting too much of their sexism, misandry, and politics into the story and only end up convoluting their own subversion attempt.
very interesting video essay, but how is the damsel in distress trope not patriarchal? "what's so wrong with getting saved by a man," you ask, following with "if you got into a very bad situation wouldn't you want someone to come and do something?" That's the point though, when it's always the woman in the bad situation having to get saved by a man coming and doing something, it reinforces existing misogynistic tropes of weak women and male saviors.
My best friend is a film major and we got through some of bones and all (we can’t handle cannibal movies and left right before the ending) and she believed that it was an allegory for the aids epidemic and being queer in the 80s (we haven’t read the book and we could be wrong but i agreed with her)
The movie did that so weirdly. I think the book handled it in an interesting way. She longed to be close to someone, but when a man/boy showed any sexual interest in her, she ate them. It’s far more obvious in the book that there was a link between sexuality and cannibalism
The damsel in distress, irl, is just a fantasy of men being heroes. I know that a man will not save me, I know a man is more likely to be the one who got me.
I was a bit disappointed by Bones And All as well. The book explored more into Merrin's cannibalizing men who make sexual advances on her and her guilt over it, and the journey of who she is. The movie was shallow.
It's official, everyone, the computers ARE taking over: I got Peta ads all throughout this video. They're finally learning how to be funny on purpose, not just accidentally, like when they ruin my texts through autocorrect.
Lord, I didn't watched the trailer for Fresh but as soon as Steve said he didn't eat meat I knew he was a cannibal 😂 Let me just say my stomach can't handle cannibalism or gore 🤢 but it wasn't that bad and made it to the end 😂
I love your video and insights thank you!! Raw was great, Bones & all the book was better. and I love Fresh and its commentary about dating and how women are viewed but i always thought Paul was a stand in for those type of men who know their friends are drugging girls & doing horrible things but do nothing. The silent indifference showing how it helps the villains out more. Im sad that that is not what they were going for. Also i completely agree they should have showed more of the manipulation of Steve etc. Also I would have loved if Ann helped them kill Steve in the end. Like Shown him trying to crawl away and they see Ann and they all think she'll help him but it turns out Ann delivers the finial kill. That would have been WAY more female empowering and a happier ending
Hey, this is such a great video, it inspired me to write an essay about this topic. :) Do you maybe have a document with your sources or something? I would of couse credit you in my paper aswell.
not to sound like one of those people but with bones and all the book was definitely better than the movie. the book was more in depth and the story flowed wayyyyyy better
Like your video essay quite a bit, though given the subject matter I was surprised that there wasn't any mention of *Trouble Every Day* (the main protagonist is male, but he is not the most interesting character in Claire Denis' film). Personally, I rarely if ever pursue director's interviews for authorial intention. You tend to have to take what they say with a grain of salt because they are usually trying to sway opinion after the fact (though I have to admit I found what Ducournau had to say here of interest and seemingly candid, which I tend to find rare in post-film interviews). I like to witness the art form and see how it functions, which in the best cases is far better than the limits of the director's intentions. I appreciate your perspectives on *Raw* (which I like very much, as well). I skipped *Bones and All* because I haven't seen it, and not inclined to do so. I did like *Fresh* a lot more than yourself. It is extremely on the nose throughout. When Noa meets Steve in the market, there is a "fresh meat" sign over her head, so you either take it for what it is or spit it out (no big deal either way). You definitely expose some holes in the plot and character constructions that I surely glossed over, but there is something off with this film in a few different ways that I kind of liked. The set and costume designs are anachronistic relative to the technology the characters use, more like they are in the late 70s or early 80s. The dance scenes are also bizarre in a way I can't account for. Sometimes I thought a lot of this might be trying to allude to *American Psycho* but that seems a reach, and maybe it is trying to create an affect of defamiliarizing the audience with the standard tropes of the plot and the plot itself. Hard to say, but I liked the off-kilter aesthetics relative to the consumed by love plot. What I really liked about *Fresh* is that Noa is looking for love and Mr. Right, and, not uncommonly in horror films, is thereby exploited by predators created and/or fostered by the socio-economic system we live under (the figurative "meat grinder" so to speak, that becomes a great deal more literal here). But, despite the markets' multifarious ways of exploiting and capitalizing Noa's pursuit, by in turn making her not only a a consumer (cosmetic products, dating apps, etc. etc.) but also a product within it, what she is looking for is fairly basic and innocent, though relatively banal. She is looking for love. For someone she can love, who loves her back... all in a mutually beneficial and reciprocal manner. This may not be universally human for all humans, regardless of all the diversities of sexuality, genders, et. al., but it is fairly typical despite all of our disillusionments and proclivities. What I found interesting is that the same pursuit for "Mr. Right" that led her into the clutches of "Mr. Wrong," was what led to her liberation. Mr. Wrong, for all of his unconventional behaviors, appetites and desires, was looking for a Ms. Right of his own... so Noa mirrored Steve back to himself in a female gender performance and was able to exploit his own vulnerability in order to escape. I think the blood loss from her removal of his phallus likely would have put him out of commission rather effectively, but it is a horror movie so it is never that easy. It wasn't the greatest film of the decade, but Noa's ability to turn the system and Steve back on itself/himself to survive and hopefully thrive, with the help of her friends, was fairly ingenious from my perspective and showed the film to be part of the zeitgeist.
So, basically, Bones & All and Fresh fall flat because they refuse to go all in on their premise, and use the horror genre to fulfill their movies highest symbolic quality. That tracks. Also god Fresh's ending reeks of misogyny. So she's the one who gets the most brutal ending, the most anger directed at? While Steve gets off so easily, and all the men that partook in his business weren't even MENTIONED? C'mon, give me a Jennifer's Body ending where the girls team up to not just kill Steve, brutally, the same way he tortured them, but also go on a mission to kill every single man who participated in their torture, and the torture of so many other women.
In a weird way cannibal girls are a answer to slasher movies. Instead of a victim or final girl, the girl is now the monster. Can be either evil or tragic or both.
Yep!! The girls become monster trope is my absolute favorite
YESSS we need more movies that has the predator/antagonist a female!! especially when irl, people dont expect females being a serial killer, attacker or even a pedo...we N E E D more examples of that (not to glorify but to shed light on it and ig warn people and make people understand it more)
The final girl is revolutionary, I mean it's the least a horror movie can do when horror is usually centered around unwarranted female terror, misfortune, and tragedy. But it's such an empowering concept due to luck, smarts, and strength the woman is the last alive of a female-oriented mishap. The fact the men don't usually survive because they are expected to take the danger head on first is also interesting.
its suppose to change our mentality but at the end of the day, you pit an average women vs an average man and guess whos eating who.
Cannibal girls are bizarrely unique. They get feared of, but somehow they're individuals with layers to them that also sets them apart from all the others.
They're not like other girls
@@starsandmoonsabove theyre the same, just another grasping at man sht to feel special..like driving
For Bones and All, Maren eats those who have sexual interest in her or deeper inappropriate feelings, like the babysitter getting too close and touchy with child Maren, so Lee keeps a distances in terms of the sexual aspect of the relationship, they are meant to be showing how relationships functions with having to slowly gain trust and dealing with the trauma while figuring out the sexual/romantic side of oneself. Especially as it’s novel an allegory for CSA, Maren being mistrusting and Lee needs to work for the trust even when she pushes him away makes sense. When she finally trusts him, it feels like they are truly understanding each other and they have all the chemistry that you feel was missing. Which makes the ending more heartbreaking. That being said the novel is deeper and shows more of the relationships and also Marens mindset around being a cannibal and young woman.
I think Lee also keeps a distance between them because of his previous relationship. For me personally, I thought that he was weird and distant with Maren because his cannibalism ruined not only the relationship he had, but also her entire life.
I love the intertwining of the "girl becomes a monster" genre and her entering womanhood. That's such a potent connection. And I loved your explanation of Raw. Justine's sexuality coincides with her primal hunger, that may seem pretty confusing but both are indulged in an instinctual manner. One of the most powerful things a piece of media can give a woman is agency. She is not submissive to her urges but she literally becomes them. it takes nothing rom her.
oh yeah women get way crazier then men...there was this joke: 80% of women in the us are on drugs. that leaves 20% of them unmedicated.
I’m so interested in the differences between Bones and All the movie and the book. In the book, Maren is abandoned by her mother and searching for her father, but ends up finding her mom and realizing that her mother just got… tired of protecting her. Also, after her babysitter, her second attack was a boy who tried to force a kiss on her and the third was a boy who tried to touch her inappropriately. It seems that her sexuality and her hunger were (kinda shallowly) connected beyond that first murder
i want to know your opinions in general about the book! i watched the movie before and read the book after and for the first time like the movie way more. i feel like the book is kind of messy and the writing isnt that great. i hated when she ate lee in the book bc she felt absolutely zero remorse afterwards compared to how shes been torn up about her babysitter for like 13 years. the ending of the book also didnt really make much sense considering her character honestly. imo the movie did a good job of making things better
@@shuichew Oh, I thought the writing of the book was very immature and I didn’t enjoy it at all lol. The use of cannibalism is also very messily handled because it was never clearly defined. I get that it dealt with her relationships with other people, but I do think her babysitter should’ve not been included in her victim list if that was the case OR there shouldn’t have been so many boys assaulting her.
Due to that, I have very mixed feelings on Maren eating Lee. I love the trope of “keeping your loved ones with you forever” but Maren’s eating never gave off that vibe to me in the book.
@@ladyblubelimo I’ve always thought that her eating came from some type of negative connection bc all her victims in some way expressed their wants and desires like the babysitter wanted a baby to care for, the boy at the camp expressed his desire for a family and a better future, the boy at the Walmart wanted someone to hold, etc… possibly she envied their chances for a better future, a future where she didn’t have the “burdens” she did
At first glance I saw “c a n n a b i s girls” lol and I was like yeaaaah that’s me! Then I realized it said cannibal girls and I was like oh that’s not me at all
lmaoo now you mention it, an essay on cannabis girls would be very appreciated
@@babooshkaaaaah literally
Cannibals and cannabis a group of cannibals and stoners on a island who eats who
omg another alr fan
idk i actually really liked the slow pace of Bones and All! knowing the book allegory for CSA, i find the slow development of lee and marens relationship a lot better and more authentic than something rushed. it’s realistic how long it takes her to finally trust him and vice versa
Lol it is definitely not a summary for CSA. The author is very explicit that the story is about coming of age and why eating meat makes you a monster.
the relationship feels incomplete though. like why do they all of a sudden start showcasing romance when the only thing they connect with so far is their cannibalism.. it feels rushed when it happens rather than a slow burn
I don't know if it's just me... But I find a very close parallel between Raw and Ginger Snaps with a "coming of age" narrative under the surface of sibilings and their power dynamics; sometimes being as close and mirrored when this structure is established you're not gonna be on a safe space while vulnerable... There's all these urgencies taking you out of your path and counting with sombody is not the same as just having somebody around; maybe the bigger person is not going to be the "bigger person"... Very interesting
yes, noticed that immediately!
I was thinking that as well when I was watching that segment-all I could think of was when Ginger said “wouldn’t it be fucked up if I ate her?” With that really intense look in her eyes, that so clearly showed she wanted to. It’s the same inner turmoil of growing into an adult personified as this inner beast that gradually takes control. Good stuff!
Yep!! The girls become monster trope is my absolute favorite
Woah, that's spooky that you posted this. I'm working on a book about a girl who becomes a cannibal because of sexual trauma. It's inspired by Jennifer's Body.
It's already my favourite ... I don't even have to read it to know it's my favourite ...
That sounds so interesting. I’d definitely read that.
do u have any social media to follow up with this book?
I'm super interested in this concept, both as someone who loves Raw and Jennifer's Body and as someone who survived childhood sexual trauma. I hate the unscientific idea that sexual trauma "causes" queerness or transness (and the ideas that homophobic/transphobic people add to that: that resolving that trauma will convert you back to a straight/cisgender person or that trying to get rid of your queer sexuality or trans identity is somehow a viable route to healing from the trauma), but often wonder how my sexual trauma could have played a role in what my sexuality and gender ended up being. I feel like I can't really bring up my CSA history in discussions with most people, though, or they will weaponize it to try to challenge my gender or sexuality, and use it as an excuse to treat me like I'm just a confused straight woman who is too feebleminded and traumatized to be able to accurately understand my own identity, psychology, and sexuality on a deeper level. Even if my trauma had some sort of overwhelming impact on my gender and sexuality, it's kind of stupid to expect it to somehow be possible for me to "change" and revert to the way I was before when I was literally only like 7 years old. I can be happy and healthy and resolve my trauma exactly the way I am as a queer adult and the queer experience I have isn't something I can deny or that I've been brainwashed into. I've healed into the person I am and that probably can't "change" unless I am brutally broken apart and traumatized again, which I really don't want. I feel like these modern cannibalism stories are really interesting for processing a lot of these feelings because despite how cannibalism is not really comparable to queerness at all on a more literal and ethics-focused surface level, they really capture themes of self-discovery, confusion about why you're so different, and existential fear about where you really fit into society that I resonate with as a queer person. I also have not really seen cannibalism explored well from the sexual trauma angle you're coming at it from, because it's often not really the devoted angle these stories are really interested in so it ends up being sort of underdeveloped if it's even explored at all. I really wish you luck and hope you continue to work on this book, because this concept could be explored in a lot of interesting, sensitive, and complex ways. If there's any way I can follow this project or see bits of what you're working on, I'd love to!
So Jennifer’s body but a book and some changes…original
I don’t feel like any women goes without a time where they feel like they aren’t really in control of their bodies. You can feel other bodies reacting to you, suddenly you become aware you’re on display, and some people will dine upon your flesh with their eyes. Being corporeal is so limiting bc you are always giving people the cover of your book first, and you don’t have time for everyone to know your story. Especially when you haven’t figured out how you want your cover to look and imply, you’re feeling very much at the mercy of everyone’s eyeballs. Made me want to pluck them out of my own head sometimes, because it wouldn’t be right to pull them from everyone else’s heads bc of MY insecurity, right? Better to blind myself to their looking.
This is a universal experience amongst people bc I feel like it’s a natural part of adolescence. Insecurity is assumed in women…but cannibalism as a resistance to insecurity is almost expected in men in many ways. You can only build your manhood by consuming a strict diet of protein shakes and virgin whore-sluts.
And then ofc, we all sell our bodies, our time, our lives, to the capitalists at the top. The ultimate forbidden fruit, the rich.
What was I even talking about? I’m just sick with insomnia. Wonderful little video.
Can we be friends? 🥺
@@calliope4438 sure lol
you need to be a writer this is so good
I'm a little horrified by the summary of Bones and All. In the book, I read Maren's cannibalism as a clear allegory for sexual assault. The first scene we have of Maren's cannibalism (or ghoul-like nature), is when a babysitter (a woman) gets too close and touchy with the child-aged Maren. Her reaction to being a cannibal resembles a victim re-living trauma - she quite literally blacks eating out of her memory. We never see it, we only see the aftermath. Even in the end with Lee, he uncomfortably invades her space after Sully's attacks her. I haven't seen the movie, but to hear that the story is re-interpreted as a queer love story (sexually-charged sleepover, Lee's and Maren's relationship arc) is disturbing.
ooh, I love your interpretation! as a victim of CSA myself, I can totally see the parallels you draw there. I think this is an especially apt reading cuz the only negative feelings Maren associated with those moments were her guilt and shame at being a monster--which is exactly how victims of SA are conditioned to feel in real life.
i totally agree with you now- i loved the movie, i feel like the cannibalism was more of a metaphor for addiction in the movie though. And i never thought about the cannibalism in the book being a metaphor for s/a until now, but it makes so much sense!
it’s always so fascinating to see how people interpret things! viewing it from the perpective of sa definitely would paint maren’s interactions differently. i always saw it as a metaphor for queerness, both in terms of sexuality and otherness. it’s nice that there’s no one way to see the story. even the author said she thought that the film script brought a new depth to her story.
Not to be offensive or whatever (your reading of the book is perfectly valid) but there's a stark difference between what you interpret from the novel vs it's intention. The author, as far as I'm aware, never intended for the novel to be about csa-the novel, at it's core, is intended to be a coming of age story about identity. YOU read the book as a novel about csa (which, again, is a legitimate reading), but it's not the one true reading of the book, or of the movie. Someone who interprets the material as talking about queerness is not doing a "disturbing re-contextualizing" of the story.
I mean this is the way that YOU interpreted the book. But the author is probably the only person that knows what she was trying to say by including the element of cannibalism into her story.
Your views on the movie Raw was so beautiful and spot on ! U captured the message so well and all the symbolisms ! I love Raw as they portrayed women needs/lust in a more vicious and active way. The woman is the predator instead of the prey in this movie. Most of the time women are the ones pursued or taken by the man but in Raw the roles were completely reversed. The scene when Justin was lusting after Adrian during the football match is often portrayed through the lens of a man watching a female. Seeing the tables flip was refreshing and completely relatable ! This movie is truly a work of art as it can be interpreted in so many ways. Some can even say the cannibalistic nature can also be mental illness passed down from generation to generation. For me personally I see it as a way to portray animalistic urges and lust.. I'm so happy u also enjoyed the movie a lot ! Thank you once again ❤️
The first time I watched Bones and All I was not invested in the characters but the ending hit like a truck and made me cry a bit. That confused me how for 2 hours I didn’t care but it was the last 3 minutes that got to me. I tried to read the book and screenplay for any missing context and I would say the screenplay makes up for the lack of romance. I think it’s just the little side notes and dialogue that’s not included in the movie that make you go aww they’re cute. I haven’t finished both but I’m still trying to understand the movie as a whole especially with it’s slight changes. I know from the book Maren would more so eat boys that tried for get close to her/ showed attraction so there’s another way to interpret the story; she could never stay loved? Love isn’t meant for her? It’s hard? There’s so many ideas it’s not set. I do wish Maren and Lee had more moments together in the movie cause he is highlighted as her first love. And damn did that hurt
If this helps any, I interpreted it like loving someone is taking a piece of yourself and a piece of that person to create something new. It's not consumption in the literal sense, but more like not being able to be the same person you used to be and the loneliness/grief of that.
This video reached me at the perfect time haha
I just finished reading a book called NightBitch which is about a new mom who slowly develops animalistic urges, canine features, and how she handles turning into the women she never thought she’d become. It’s not about cannibalism but is more about rageful animal-like desires which is what I really love about cannibal movies and stories. Something about letting go and becoming a sort of feral being has always interested me and I think it’s a great way of exploring themes of womanhood/ motherhood etc. also great video love ur content!:)
omg i need to read this book now- thank you😭😭
" When she had referred to herself as Nightbitch, she meant it as a good-natured self-deprecating joke-because that’s the sort of lady she was, a good sport, able to poke fun at herself, definitely not uptight, not wound really tight, not so freakishly tight that she couldn’t see the humor in a lighthearted not-meant-as-an-insult situation-but in the days following this new naming, she found the patch of coarse black hair sprouting from the base of her neck and was, like, _What the fuck._ "
What an intriguing hook 💀
I bought that book forever ago on my kindle. Need to read it soon!
I absolutely hate how they switched Maren’s mother and father in the film narrative; it was so much more impactful I felt when it was her MOTHER who abandoned her and her FATHER who passed on this generational curse from his father (who in the book we find out is Sully). The concept of maternal abandonment is way more interesting and character developing for Maren than what they make it out to be in the film, and the story of her fathers first victim is compelling- the whole generational curse thing is more explored too probably. Keep in mind I haven’t actually finished the book version of Bones & All, nor have I seen the movie, but from your synopsis of it (I’m at 25:45) I think the changes they made probably killed the story.
It’s interesting you say that since they made that decision precisely because they “believed that the absence of a mother would have more of an effect on a young woman who doesn’t feel that she can trust her own body. ‘There could be empathy between a mother and a daughter about specifically how this condition sits inside of a female psyche.” I can see an argument for both sides, but I was personally fond of the decision.
My wife has that "cute aggression" thing. She sometimes has the urge to bite something really hard. She often ends up biting herself. It's very few and far between when it happens and isn't as weird as it sounds
The misunderstanding of issue with the "damsel in distress" trope is so rooted in the binary, imo, and how girlboss feminism still enforces gender stereotypes. A man and a woman do not have to be separated and do their own thing, they just have to both be treated as humans who interact with one another (rather than either a brainless damsel or a girlboss who doesn't need men). So, yes, a man can save a woman if he is next available human able to do so and it makes sense in the story.
Very true. Thank you. This alone is what separates bad writing from good writing.
This movie used cannibalism as a generational curse really well. Its always up to you to break those curses
You are so real for your bones and all criticism. Everyone acted like this was the best thing ever and I thought it was weak as hell. Thank you for spilling.
I think you should watch Lola Sebastians video on Bones and All. I completely disagree with your takes on it. It's maybe done a bit more subtley than Raw, but the deep emotions, the passion, the tragedy, the love is all there. It's just a different take on it.
It was such a fantastic movie. And I think it's fantastic too because the focus isn't all on the romance, it does explore and leaves itself open to interpretions around queerness, classism, racism, trauma, addiction, otherness in general.
I agree, I really didn’t understand where her takes came from.
I fully agree
i love your commentary!! i agree with your views on Bones and All. the book explores their relationship in more depth and i feel like their story flows so much better. i also feel like her voice and point of view on things is so much more relatable in a weird way? (i hope that doesn’t sound crazy) regardless, i was so disappointed when i saw the movie honestly, it didn’t do the hype of the book justice. if you have the chance to read the book i HIGHLY suggested.
Oh god i love cannibalism and how its such a good way to show (toxic) love! Loved the video and your reading on the different ways the movies portray cannibalism and most of all coming of age. Sad to see that bones & all wasnt really for you. I like it in a strange way, it lived rentfree in my head for a month or so. The book is from the girls POV and early on she remembers all her kills, most of them where young boys who had an interest in her, so in the book her cannibalism is more linked to sexual awaking. I havent finished it but do recommend it bc it has so much more substance than the movie
have you watched Hard candy? Its not really related to the video but its one of those movies i think about when people talk about female revenge. I adore your channel btw!! you have so many interesting opinons and views !!!
After watching this video I'd be interested to hear your opinion on how Yellowjackets (the series on showtime) fits into this "cannibal girls" genre
very good point
Yes! Especially since they used a clip from the shows title sequence but didn’t discuss it
The lure also comes to mind, as does teeth and Jennifer's body
You are probably too young to remember it, but a great example of cannibalism used in a clever and metaphorical way by a female filmmaker is the 1999 Horror-Comedy Ravenous. Directed by Antonia Bird, there is a strong undertone of homoeroticism, and an even deeper level of criticism aimed at the exploitation of land and indigenous peoples in U.S. history, particularly in terms of Manifest Destiny and western expansion.
unrelated but the scene in raw when she's taken bites out of his legs are probably my favorite and the most ive ever been disturbed by sfx gore makeup
great video! i would love to hear your take on yellowjackets since you used clips from it a few times in this video. It's got a lot of interesting themes and I just watched it recently so it's on the mind.
This channel is sooo underrated!! Thank you for your videos, I truly believe that you deserve more recognition for the all work that you put into them ❤
Surprised my attention span was able to finish this, what a very informative and entertaining commentary! Amazing video. Can't wait for more from you.
I felt the same way about The Whale and the accusation of fat phobia. The movie wasn't about his eating disorder and his body was supposed to resemble a whale not a human.
it's a multi layered movie about a deeply depressed individual
Did we watch the same movie??
Like this movie wasn't about Vegans
If you mean Bones and All, the book was apparently written by a vegan and was about veganism to some degree. So that's probably why people apply it to the film as well sometimes.
Your videos make me so happy I don’t think I could ever live without them
I love this emerging character archetype. I can't wait to hear your take on them!
Its different in European film, but the horror resurgence in America I think It's much like the screen femme fatale of the 80s, 90s: the fear of women, especially following a sudden shift in power dynamics thanks to MeToo and 4th wave Feminism. You always see this kind of stuff, movies that evoke "feminine paranoia" come out of hollywood
This is basically the best channel. Just went looking for you through my whole subscription list :)
I'm a big fan of your channel💖Please don't stop creating more content. I feel blessed with your channel and i know that im not the only one. XOXO💖💫💅
If there is one thing to get me to watch movies that I've had on my bucket list for awhile it's a good video essay.
I really enjoyed this video! I’ve been interested in this genre of film as it holds a lot depth. I have seen Bones and All in theaters (twice)and do plan on reading the book. I interpreted the film as a journey of self discovery, sexuality, generational trauma, seeking community, and independence.
I know this is an older movie, but I wanted to say something about bones and all. The bond between the 2 lovers imo does not need proof of showing, the bond between them is more “look but don’t talk” sort of vibe to me. She is alone and looking to belong, he innately picks this up from her, and they fall into place like a final puzzle piece. This does not mean that they will express love in the way some might think. Bones and all keeps the emotions they have with the closeness and trusting nature they have for one another. When something happens they on some level, know what to do with the other and already know they will stick together rather than abandon one or the other. Love does not always have to feel romantic. Intimate love can exist in all sorts of forms. At least, such has been my own experience and what I have seen with other friends and family
i love how thorough you are with ur reviews! and ur accent is absolutely amazing!
I’m not sure why, but female cannibalism came to mind when I was watching A Wounded Fawn (2022). It might have been because it felt like everything Fresh failed to achieve except I also felt that the gory aspects were more visceral. That movie made you really feel every wound inflicted on the antagonist in a way that’s similar to how a human can quickly transform into an animal in the tales of Greek myths. Raw also managed to capture that for me; Consuming something raw is associated with messy, “dirty” things like fluids and body parts that are often cut away from flesh when it reaches your plate like fat, ligaments, and “offal.”
I was today yours old when I learnt you are from Russia. Спасибо за это видео, я как раз собиралась посмотреть raw, ещё благодаря тебе посмотрела и показала всем Секретаршу, один из моих любимых фильмов теперь!
I would love to hear your take on the rise of survivalist media and how a lot of it is female centered. Yellow jackets, The Wilds, Class ‘07, Outlast, etc.
I haven't seen the movie, but after hearing your summary of Fresh I think a more interesting ending would be if Anne killed Steve. This would have allowed Noa and the others to escape, while showing a more complex side to Anne's character. I think perhaps Steve could be about to kill one of the girls, when suddenly we hear a gunshot, or he gets stabbed. Afterwards it could be revealed that it was Anne, then there could be a brief, possibly silent moment of solidarity between them
I suggest actually seeing it. I thought this analysis missed quite a lot.
Yellowjackets too
I think this essay could be so much better if it focused more on thematic analysis instead of simple recap and review. I just think a lot of analysis is missing for at least Fresh, the one of the three that I have seen. There's just a lot missing in the parallels like the "give me a smile" and Paul's character, or the Black characters and how they interact with the plot. Or the contrast between the two characters of the antagonistic couple. You should not depend on simple interviews when there's far more depth to be found in the text of any film... There's just a lot of overlooked nuance that made me completely distrust Bones and All's review. I went from not wanting to see it to distrusting this opinion so much that I want to see Bones and All. Overall, I don't think Fresh even belongs in this video.
Anyway, giving the essay a like. It was entertaining.
Bones and All was amazing imo. So soft and tender for it's gorey themes
@@oggyboggy8692 I've since watched and I agree. I think a lot was missing here.
After all of the cannibalism used as gags in cartoons, we got some actually scary representations of it such as Alastor from hazbin and Bob Velseb in spooky month
Forgot to mention Rosie
" why these ppl love eachother ? they have no chemistry !" precisely my thoughts abt most couples , fiction or otherwise lol
I love the refs to Yellowjackets towards the end, I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
I love cannibalism (in stories) please talk about Yellowjackets
Thank you so much for uploading !! Always look forward to ur videos !! Thank you so much for discussing my fav movie ever raw (grave) truly means so much to have one of my fav channels discuss my fav movie !
well I know what I'm watching on my lunch break! Thanks for uploading!!
This is one of my favorite channels! You are so good!!
I genuinely love this video so much!
1/2 want to stop watching this youtube so I don't spoil the movie
1/2 love these video essays so much that I can't skip ahead anyways
Love when a video from you shows up in my feed! 🙌🙌🙌🙌
I can't wait to check out these movies for myself. They sound like amazing horror stories!
funny bc i lovvedddd bones and all so much so that i read the book and imo the book is kinda bad, and all of your criticisms make sense considering what the original material and i think the movie honestly did a good job w what they had to work with
I'm curious what your thoughts are on We Are What We Are, with the cannibalistic tradition being something that's passed from matriarch to matriarch until the events of the movie where the eldest daughter is pressured by her father to take on the mantle.
i kin Maren so hard, her story is like mine in so many different ways, we also look super similar (im filipina + jamacian + russian so mixed girl with hooded eyes and micro bangs , PLZ RISE UP !!), and i also live in appalachia so the country feel of the movie is so familiar.
ALSO a girl from the town like 30/45 mins away from me played as one of the girls at the sleepover
i could write on and on about everything i love about Maren & Bones & All, the way she doesn’t change, doesn’t show her love in a convenient way, but her own way.. she’s so mecoded and im so happy that movie was made lol
absolutely loved this!
i live for cannabalism as a metaphor for love
It’s honestly pretty problematic that the director justifies the male friend abandoning the girls in obvious danger as rational and that the girls need to “prove” that they can save themselves. This can easily translate to men neglecting women’s issues because “it doesn’t involve them” or because they’re not the “bad guy”. MEN SHOULD HELP! When women are at a disadvantage and we face things like gendered violence, we WANT men to step in!
It reminds me of the woman who was assaulted by a man with multiple male bystanders not doing anything about it. Like hello, the girls are in trouble??? Why is it their responsibility to save themselves when it’s much safer and easier to have someone from the outside step in? Needing help shouldn’t be seen as disempowering, it’s not the same as being dependent. The problem is how women are put in danger because of men, not that we don’t know how to save ourselves.
I wonder if these stunning and brave writers are ever concerned that their stories of women entering adulthood or embracing their sexuality being inadvertently tied to becoming or embracing being a dangerous and vile monster might be sending the opposite message that is intended. Some overestimate their brilliance or cleverness when injecting too much of their sexism, misandry, and politics into the story and only end up convoluting their own subversion attempt.
very interesting video essay, but how is the damsel in distress trope not patriarchal? "what's so wrong with getting saved by a man," you ask, following with "if you got into a very bad situation wouldn't you want someone to come and do something?" That's the point though, when it's always the woman in the bad situation having to get saved by a man coming and doing something, it reinforces existing misogynistic tropes of weak women and male saviors.
My best friend is a film major and we got through some of bones and all (we can’t handle cannibal movies and left right before the ending) and she believed that it was an allegory for the aids epidemic and being queer in the 80s (we haven’t read the book and we could be wrong but i agreed with her)
I heard in the Original planned ending for fresh the girls were going to Eat/bite Steve to death.
"Keep him with her forever" like she won't just shit him out later
I would love to hear your take on Neon Demon and Jennifer's Body
i think its hilarious when people clearly identify what happened to them and what made them and then sit in it and do nothing til they die.
Over hyped Timothee Chalamet lmfaoooo he is! I don’t get it either finally someone else who agrees.
Wake up babe new antiheroines vid just dropped
All the girls need to watch your channel
the complete absence of maren’s sexuality & desires from bones and all drove me crazy too!! it felt like such a glaring omission
The movie did that so weirdly. I think the book handled it in an interesting way. She longed to be close to someone, but when a man/boy showed any sexual interest in her, she ate them. It’s far more obvious in the book that there was a link between sexuality and cannibalism
I got a manscaped ad after the waxing scene in raw
Justine's name harkens back to DeSade.
The damsel in distress, irl, is just a fantasy of men being heroes. I know that a man will not save me, I know a man is more likely to be the one who got me.
I was a bit disappointed by Bones And All as well. The book explored more into Merrin's cannibalizing men who make sexual advances on her and her guilt over it, and the journey of who she is. The movie was shallow.
i think you should also note it is implied that his sister was eaten by sully, that's a large part of why he was resolved to die regardless.
my good friend, Chelsea Summers, wrote the best seller "A Certain Hunger". read it. it's so satisfying. her prose and wit is so cutting. pun and all
Bones and all is an awesome book, way better than the movie. It's from Marens POV.
how did i end up on this side of the Internet?
It's official, everyone, the computers ARE taking over: I got Peta ads all throughout this video.
They're finally learning how to be funny on purpose, not just accidentally, like when they ruin my texts through autocorrect.
i luv cannibal girls in movies its such a cool concept like jennifers body fuck yes SLAY
Lord, I didn't watched the trailer for Fresh but as soon as Steve said he didn't eat meat I knew he was a cannibal 😂 Let me just say my stomach can't handle cannibalism or gore 🤢 but it wasn't that bad and made it to the end 😂
I love your video and insights thank you!! Raw was great, Bones & all the book was better. and I love Fresh and its commentary about dating and how women are viewed but i always thought Paul was a stand in for those type of men who know their friends are drugging girls & doing horrible things but do nothing. The silent indifference showing how it helps the villains out more. Im sad that that is not what they were going for. Also i completely agree they should have showed more of the manipulation of Steve etc. Also I would have loved if Ann helped them kill Steve in the end. Like Shown him trying to crawl away and they see Ann and they all think she'll help him but it turns out Ann delivers the finial kill. That would have been WAY more female empowering and a happier ending
I would love your commentary on Yellowjackets, like on each season once each one ends.
Oh girl have you seen Teeth?! I think everyone here would love it. It's cute, funny, scary, campy, and about exactly what you would think! 💔👄🦈✂️🥒
I feel finally vindicated in really disliking Bones and All. I've had many debates and some arguments with some who claim the film is "amazing".
Another great video!
Oh, I missed you! 🩷
How did you not include Jennifer's Body?!
I just think fresh is camp, I don’t take it too seriously 😂
Hey, this is such a great video, it inspired me to write an essay about this topic. :) Do you maybe have a document with your sources or something? I would of couse credit you in my paper aswell.
not to sound like one of those people but with bones and all the book was definitely better than the movie. the book was more in depth and the story flowed wayyyyyy better
yes, absolutely! i think for that story, you need to be in Maren’s head. I loved her arch in the book.
Like your video essay quite a bit, though given the subject matter I was surprised that there wasn't any mention of *Trouble Every Day* (the main protagonist is male, but he is not the most interesting character in Claire Denis' film). Personally, I rarely if ever pursue director's interviews for authorial intention. You tend to have to take what they say with a grain of salt because they are usually trying to sway opinion after the fact (though I have to admit I found what Ducournau had to say here of interest and seemingly candid, which I tend to find rare in post-film interviews). I like to witness the art form and see how it functions, which in the best cases is far better than the limits of the director's intentions.
I appreciate your perspectives on *Raw* (which I like very much, as well). I skipped *Bones and All* because I haven't seen it, and not inclined to do so. I did like *Fresh* a lot more than yourself. It is extremely on the nose throughout. When Noa meets Steve in the market, there is a "fresh meat" sign over her head, so you either take it for what it is or spit it out (no big deal either way). You definitely expose some holes in the plot and character constructions that I surely glossed over, but there is something off with this film in a few different ways that I kind of liked. The set and costume designs are anachronistic relative to the technology the characters use, more like they are in the late 70s or early 80s. The dance scenes are also bizarre in a way I can't account for. Sometimes I thought a lot of this might be trying to allude to *American Psycho* but that seems a reach, and maybe it is trying to create an affect of defamiliarizing the audience with the standard tropes of the plot and the plot itself. Hard to say, but I liked the off-kilter aesthetics relative to the consumed by love plot.
What I really liked about *Fresh* is that Noa is looking for love and Mr. Right, and, not uncommonly in horror films, is thereby exploited by predators created and/or fostered by the socio-economic system we live under (the figurative "meat grinder" so to speak, that becomes a great deal more literal here). But, despite the markets' multifarious ways of exploiting and capitalizing Noa's pursuit, by in turn making her not only a a consumer (cosmetic products, dating apps, etc. etc.) but also a product within it, what she is looking for is fairly basic and innocent, though relatively banal. She is looking for love. For someone she can love, who loves her back... all in a mutually beneficial and reciprocal manner. This may not be universally human for all humans, regardless of all the diversities of sexuality, genders, et. al., but it is fairly typical despite all of our disillusionments and proclivities. What I found interesting is that the same pursuit for "Mr. Right" that led her into the clutches of "Mr. Wrong," was what led to her liberation. Mr. Wrong, for all of his unconventional behaviors, appetites and desires, was looking for a Ms. Right of his own... so Noa mirrored Steve back to himself in a female gender performance and was able to exploit his own vulnerability in order to escape. I think the blood loss from her removal of his phallus likely would have put him out of commission rather effectively, but it is a horror movie so it is never that easy. It wasn't the greatest film of the decade, but Noa's ability to turn the system and Steve back on itself/himself to survive and hopefully thrive, with the help of her friends, was fairly ingenious from my perspective and showed the film to be part of the zeitgeist.
So, basically, Bones & All and Fresh fall flat because they refuse to go all in on their premise, and use the horror genre to fulfill their movies highest symbolic quality. That tracks. Also god Fresh's ending reeks of misogyny. So she's the one who gets the most brutal ending, the most anger directed at? While Steve gets off so easily, and all the men that partook in his business weren't even MENTIONED? C'mon, give me a Jennifer's Body ending where the girls team up to not just kill Steve, brutally, the same way he tortured them, but also go on a mission to kill every single man who participated in their torture, and the torture of so many other women.
Its about time!!!
That phrase "give me a smile" in fresh,, was also in jessica jones if you saw it
Such a pity that you can't like a video twice