The Bones (2023 film)
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| The Bones Luzelese: Os Ossos | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vitor Rodrigues Fontana |
| Written by | Fernanda Prado |
| Screenplay by | Edgar Castilho Ferraz |
| Produced by | Milton Nazário Vila |
| Starring | Arnoldo Maciel Lacerda Alexandre Jardim Luiz Bonfim de Canto Saulo Brito |
| Cinematography | Raul Machado |
| Edited by | Vitória Dutra Rosário |
| Music by | Laís Cruz Sato |
Production company | GSM Cinematográfica |
| Distributed by | Luzamunda Audiovisuais |
Release dates |
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Running time | 153 Minutes |
| Country | Asterian Federative Republic |
| Languages | Luzelese |
The Bones (Luzelese: Os Ossos) is a 2023 frontier film partially based on the events of the Great Asterian Bone War, a period of ruthless competition in fossil-hunting between primarily Euclean paleontologists in the 1880s as the Asterian frontier opened up.
Plot
The film opens with Gaullican paleontologist Luc Levasseur (Arnoldo Maciel Lacerda) arriving at the Federal University of Assunçã to meet Igor Chaves (Arnoldo Chagas Rezende), an Asterian professor and paleontologist. Chaves shows Levasseur several 'death drawings' of dinosaurs (one of which is featured on the film's advertising) produced by the expedition of Weranian paleontologist Fabian Stricker (Alexandre Jardim) in the Asterian Frontier. Impressed by the discoveries that Stricker has made in such a short span of time. Believing that the Asterian Frontier holds far more impressive finds than Stricker has made and out of ambition and jealousy, Leavsseur asks for Chaves' advice on forming his own expedition.
Chaves cautions that the Asterian Frontier is a very dangerous place and invites Levasseur to join an expedition he has planned for a month's time after he finishes getting permission and financial support from the university and federal government, as Stricker has. Levasseur, impatient, states that he will form one sooner as 'the longer he (Stricker) is out there, the longer he has to find things for the first time.' Levasseur, a wealthy Gaullican aristocrat, goes to a bank to withdraw a large amount of cash before boarding a train to Forte Marcos.
On the way to Forte Marcos, the train is attacked by Native Asterians armed with firearms. Terrified, Levasseur hides in his compartment which is entered by Lieutenant Peres (Luiz Bonfim de Canto). Peres opens the window and fires at unseen targets until the train escapes. Peres helps a shaking Levasseur and asks if he is alright, to which he nods. Levasseur offers a reward to Peres for ensuring his safety; Peres accepts, but asks what he is doing on the Frontier with such money, saying 'this ain't no place for a rich man with a funny accent.' Levasseur explains the situation with Stricker, and Peres offers to introduce Levasseur to the Governor of the recently-created Cunha State. Levasseur accepts.
Arriving in Forte Marcos, Peres and his men escort Levasseur to the Governor's house. Governor Joaquim Clemente (André Soares), the first governor of Cunha, invites Levasseur to dinner. At dinner, Levasseur explains his aim, about Stricker and relays the train attack to Governor Clemente. Governor Clemente tells Levasseur that Stricker 'came storming through here a few weeks back with a bunch of federales (soldiers of the Asterian Federal Army)' and labourers hired elsewhere and headed out eastwards, but hasn't been heard from since. Levasseur offers Clemente a gift as thanks for his hospitality. Clemente accepts, but says that for a larger sum, he could be persuaded to reassign Lieutenant Peres and his rurales (local soldiers of Andrande State) to protect him. Levasseur agrees, and pays. In addition to Lieutenant Peres, Governor Clemente gives Levasseur written permission to dig wherever he wishes within the state and the right to evict anyone not bearing geographically-specific permission.
Levasseur travels back to his hotel with Lieutenant Peres, asking him about the Native Asterian attack and how if this is the AFR's land, such attacks could be allowed to take place. Peres pats his rifle, telling Levasseur that unlike Assunçã 'out here, the law only extends as far as one can shoot.' The next day, Levasseur hires a workforce of out-of-work miners from the 1883 Cunha Goldrush and heads east. The group is ambushed along the way by Native Asterians, but succeeds in fighting them off with several of the labourers being killed in the fighting. They arrive at Stricker's dig site, which is at the bottom of a dried river canyon. Approaching Stricker's camp, Stricker and Major Tavares (Saulo Brito) greet Levasseur's expedition warmly. Levasseur asks to see their permission to dig here, believing this is the site from which Stricker has produced his drawings. Major Tavares informs Levasseur that 'he, and by extention the federal government' have given Stricker permission to dig. Levasseur profers the permission from Governor Clemente, and demands that Stricker provide similar written proof. Major Tavares scoffs at the notion, but Stricker agrees, and after a few minutes exits the camp to show Levasseur. Levasseur throws the document back at Stricker and declares it an obvious forgery cooked up in the few minutes before, and as Stricker returns to the camp, again demands that they leave. Stricker refuses.
Fuming, Levasseur's expedition camps for the night a short distance away. During the night, Levasseur approaches Lieutenant Peres to sound out his view on attacking Stricker's expedition, repeating Peres' earlier claim that the law extended only as far as one could shoot. A visibly reluctant Peres is persuaded once again by payment by Levasseur, and Peres goes around his soldiers, paying them to agree to Levasseur's proposal. They attack Stricker's camp in the early hours of the morning, and with surprise and darkness on their side, they succeed in killing many of the federales and taking the camp, but lose many of their own rurales. Stricker and Major Tavares flee in the chaos. Not needing Stricker's labourers, and not wanting to pay them, Levasseur orders them to leave, much to Peres' discomfort. Levasseur's excavation begins.
In a montage, the progress of the excavation is shown. Several weeks later, Stricker and Major Tavares return with a much larger column of federales. Knowing they cannot win a fight, Levasseur brandishes his permission from the Governor, which Major Tavares takes and tears up, repeating Peres' statement about law extending as far as they can shoot but adding 'I have a lot more men that can shoot than you do, gringo.' Levasseur first attempts to bribe Major Tavares, who refuses by spitting in Levasseur's direction. Levasseur then threatens to destroy the findings with dynamite, which Major Tavares believes is a bluff but Stricker refuses to take the chance, instead using their better knowledge of the local area than Levasseur to set up their camp by the closest water source, intending to force Levasseur to back down by the threat of dehydration. After their water rapidly starts to run out, Levasseur's labourers desert first. Lieutenant Peres and his troops follow as Levasseur screams in rage, but a short distance away from the dig site they are attacked and killed by the federales. A raging Levasseur searches frantically for the dynamite, but discovers that the labourers took it. Levasseur is captured by Major Tavares, who orders him expelled from the camp with no food or water, to die on the way back to Forte Marcos. On the return journey, Levasseur, starving, dehydrated and delirious, finds the bodies of his labourers, having been massacred by the Native Asterians. Searching through their bodies for food or water, he finds none, but does find several sticks of dynamite. Resolved, Levasseur returns to the dig site. He climbs the non-sheer side of the cliff that overlooks the dig site, intending to destroy what he had excavated with the dynamite. Climbing to the top of the cliff, Levasseur finds it unexpectedly occupied by Native Asterians. They fight and easily defeat Levasseur, killing him. The final shot of the film shows the Native Asterians preparing to attack the unprepared dig site.