Violence, blood, wild twist in smart, tense Western.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Guns used to threaten and shoot, with people getting shot and killed. Dead bodies. A man knocks a woman unconscious and kicks her in the stomach twice. Character smashes an injured man in the head with a rock, killing him (blood on the rock). Sexual threat toward a teen girl. Bloody injuries, spurting blood, neck slicing, stabbing with a pitchfork. Severed head wrapped in sackcloth is buried. Amputated leg. Wound cauterized with a hot knife. Character knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. Knife held to throat, violent threats. Arguing, shouting. Knives. Dialogue about violent incidents. (Spoiler alert!) Human meat is chopped , and characters participate in cannibalism.
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Two sex workers and their procurer appear in one scene. The procurer has dialogue about how the workers are "ladies," not "whores," and how they won't do anything unless "I get paid." References to "cheap whores" and "two-dollar whores."
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The two leads, Pandora (Heather Graham) and teen Hester (Brielle Robillard), both White women, are by far the most powerful characters. They're the cleverest and bravest, although they also have dark sides. Two other women appear in one scene as sex workers. Most of the rest of the (handful of) characters are played by White men (including a tracker called Cherokee Jack). Director Audrey Cummings is a woman.
In some ways the movie is about faith and the belief that "the Lord will provide." (And he does, but in a very dark, shocking way.) In other ways, it's about the destructive nature of greed, how it can lead to violence. It's also a celebration of helping others. But the movie's twist dulls the effect of any positive messages it might have had.
Positive Role Models
very little
It may seem as if Pandora and Hester are admirable for taking care of Calhoun and showing courage and strength in defending their home, but they also have a dark, taboo side that makes it hard to consider them role models.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Place of Bones is a nontraditional Western about a woman (Heather Graham) and her daughter who find themselves in the company of an injured bank robber. It goes to some unexpected places, and it won't be to every taste, but it's clever in its sparseness. Violence includes gun use, with characters shot and killed. It has dead bodies, a woman getting knocked unconscious and kicked, a character bashing in someone's head with a rock, sexual threat toward a teen girl, bloody injuries, spurting blood, stabbing and slicing, a severed head, an amputated leg, (spoiler alert) cannibalism, and much more. Sex workers (and their procurer) appear in one scene and are referenced in dialogue ("whores"). Other language includes sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "goddamn," "son of a bitch," "bastard," "ass," "dumbass," "piss," etc. There's casual drinking, as well as spoken references to drinking and getting drunk. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
In PLACE OF BONES, Pandora Meadows (Heather Graham) and her teen daughter, Hester (Brielle Robillard), live on a remote ranch, miles from the nearest town. It's a place they built with their own hands, and it's where Pandora's late husband lies. One day, Hester discovers an intruder, a wounded bank robber named Calhoun (Corin Nemec) who has a saddlebag full of money. The women take him in and tend to his wounds, although a blast through his leg has shattered the bone. When gangrene sets in, Pandora is forced to remove the leg at the knee. Later, she learns that Calhoun actually killed the other members of his own gang to take the money for himself—and that a villainous bunch led by the vicious Bear John (Tom Hopper) is looking for him. Worse, they have a tracker who can find anyone, no matter how well-hidden.
This smart, sparse, tense Western takes a fairly old story and makes it fresh again with playful dialogue, secrets hidden and revealed, and a surprisingly horrific undercurrent. Directed by Audrey Cummings, Place of Bones joins the still very short list of Westerns directed by women, and while it doesn't quite reach the artistry of Meek's Cutoff or The Power of the Dog, it's a worthy addition. Right away, there are conflicts at work. While Pandora and Hester are nowhere near civilization, the mother keeps insisting that the daughter use correct English ("don't say anything," rather than "don't say nothing"). And while Pandora is stubbornly pious, she seems to know an awful lot about guns and gunshot wounds. Even the minimal ranch house, mostly dusty brown, is perked up by a gloriously colorful Tiffany window.
Pandora's mysterious past (and her name itself, which of course references the box that you should never open) is juxtaposed with Calhoun's ever-evolving web of lies and deception. Admittedly, the standoff-at-the-lone-ranch-house plot has been done many times, but where Place of Bones departs from other Westerns is in its shocker of an added layer, which isn't for the squeamish. Suffice it to say that when Pandora promises "the Lord will provide," it translates into "be careful what you wish for."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Place of Bones' violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What does the movie have to say about greed? Is there a good side to greed? Why, or why not?
Does the movie talk about faith in a respectful way, or does it have too dark of a "punchline"? Why?
How do Pandora and Hester show empathy? How far does their empathy go?
Were you surprised by the ultimate reveal about Pandora and Hester? How did it make you feel about them?
MPAA explanation:
violence and some language including a sexual reference
Last updated:
September 12, 2024
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