‘Masterpiece’ crime film streaming free on BBC iPlayer | Films | Entertainment

A ‘masterpiece’ film that was released in the last few years has been added to BBC iPlayer. The free streaming service, which requires a TV licence to use, has a slew of highly-rated TV shows and films. As well as BBC original series, there are a slew of movies from multiple decades that are available to stream through the service, giving Brits a cost-free alternative to services like Netflix and Disney+, provided they have paid the licence fee. 

Much like other streaming platforms, BBC iPlayer adds movies and shows to its catalogue regularly. This week, it has added a movie that flew under the radar for many when it was released just a few years ago, despite having an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% and a slew of excellent reviews. It also stars one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the moment. The film joins a slew of BBC favourites that were recently added to the streaming service, and falls under many genre descriptions, making it a truly unique viewing experience that many movie fans haven’t had yet.

Bones and All, starring Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet, was released back in 2022. Its genre is hard to pinpoint, and it has been described as a crime, romance, mystery, horror and drama film.

It is not for the faint-hearted, as it features many gory scenes. But for film fans, it is often considered a “masterpiece”. Essentially, Bones and All is a story about cannibals. However, the gruesome crime aims to represent different themes such as love and acceptance.

The film follows the love story between a young outcasted woman and a young drifter man who is on a journey through the backroads of America. Their relationship develops into an intense journey, but they are challenged when both of their pasts come to the fore at multiple stages throughout the story.

While it certainly proved not to be a film for everyone, its intensity and unconventional themes certainly made an impression on many movie fans.

One reviewer, writing on the movie site IMDb, called the film “a gut-wrenching, singular masterpiece. Equally terrifying and beautiful”. They said: “Bones and All is absolutely twisted, gut-wrenching, and epically tragic. It floored & devastated my girlfriend and I, to the point that not only was plentiful crying done during the film, but more crying was done several hours later when discussing the movie and reflecting upon its immensely heavy scenes and themes.”

Another wrote: “Not nearly everyone will like this film, nor understand that it’s more than just stupid. Certainly it will seem like nothing but a silly and pointless film to many.

“Nonetheless, the film really is a great work of art in many ways. I’m not so sure that the film would be anything nearly as compelling however, if the two leads didn’t put on a masters class in acting, but these two youngsters really do.”

A third shared: “You’d think a movie about people who eat people would be utterly disgusting, but the performances and the direction add layers of empathy that lesser filmmakers and lesser actors wouldn’t be able to achieve. Sure, you’ll see your fair share of teeth ripping through human skin, but in between that you’ll be privy to a shockingly romantic road-trip coming of age tale about two young adults who are simply trying to find their place in a world that doesn’t accept or understand them.”

However, the gruesome nature of some of the movie’s scenes proved to be too much for some, as several comments complain of severely uncomfortable moments throughout Bones and All.

However, it’s a strange way of telling a love story, via a gruesome crime that makes many shiver, and proves gripping. It joins a slew of other movies that were added to BBC iPlayer in the last couple of weeks, such as Till (2022), Saltburn (2024) and Cyrano (2021).