Timothée Chalamet made his screen splash in a gay romance directed by Luca Guadagnino. He teams with the director again for a more unusual love story. The basic scenario is typical: Young lovers on the lam share an addiction, but in this case their compulsion is to eat human flesh. Taylor Russell adds a coming-of-age angle, as a teen who sets out on her own to explore her cravings. When she meets Chalamet’s character, their bond is powerful. The duo’s performances are deep and connected, but 2 accomplished actors get a chance to shine in weird roles: Mark Rylance creates a delightfully deranged eccentric, while Michael Stuhlbarg is upbeat yet threatening. Guadagnino has staged the cannibal scenes with lots of blood, but not much gore, since the focus is on relationships, not on scares. Despite some slow going, the last 15 minutes powerfully pulls the whole thing together for a sweetly touching romance. 
(4.5 / 5)
