The new film Bones and All starring Timothée Chalamet as a bone-crunching, bi-sexual cannibal was greeted with an 8.5-minute standing ovation at its premiere Friday night at the Venice Film Festival.
The effort reunites the actor with his Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino and is reportedly as gruesome and gory as the name suggests — although that did nothing to dim the enthusiasm from the audience on the night, as Varity reports.
The industry outlet records the film received a 8.5-minute standing ovation, the longest and most enthusiastic of the festival so far.
The film puts Chalamet alongside relative newcomer Taylor Russell as two young lovers in 1980s rural America, who face the usual coming-of-age challenges while contending with an uncontrollable need for human flesh and blood. Lots of it.
Timothée Chalamet, second from right, poses with cast members for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film ‘Bones and All’ during the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
In one scene set at a carnival, Lee — as played by Chalamet — seduces a man, suggesting he’s bisexual, but he eventually falls in love with Maren, as played by Russell.
Guadagnino has called Chalamet’s role in Bones and All a heartbreaker.
“The second I read it, I said, I think only Timothée can play this role,” Guadagnino said in an interview last year. “He’s fantastic, a great performer and to see him soaring the way he is doing now, I feel proud of him. And this character is something very new for him, both endearing and heartbreaking.”
Guadagnino and Chalamet have enjoyed their work together in the past.
This image released by MGM shows Taylor Russell, left, and Timothée Chalamet in a scene from “Bones and All.” (Yannis Drakoulidis/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)
Chalamet got his big break from a gay romance helmed by the same director, alongside Armie Hammer, whose career is now imploding because of a cannibalism scandal.
In early 2021, a slew of unverified messages that The Social Network star had allegedly sent to women surfaced on social media.
The revelation came after one of his exes began to anonymously post graphic messages in which Hammer allegedly texted, “I am 100% a cannibal” and “I want to eat you.” The messages snowballed and Hammer’s career went into freefall.
Hammer has denied all allegations, maintaining any and all interactions with his sexual partners were consensual and mutually participatory.
The 11-day Venice Film Festival runs until September 10, with 23 films competing for the hearts of a jury led by actor Julianne Moore.