The Bottom Line
Pros
- Film is a closely observed character study of a working-class woman struggling with drug addiction
- Naturalistic acting gives the movie a feeling of authenticity
- Location shooting during winter in semi-rural upstate New York gives film an unusual look
Cons
- Although film is not unrelentingly downbeat, some viewers will still find it too depressing
- For some viewers, story will be (like real life) too untidy
- Some viewers will be revolted by the scene where a live mouse is attacked by a snake
Description
- DVD containing drama Down to the Bone (2004)
- Film won 2 awards at Sundance
- DVD provides feature commentary with director and lead actress
- DVD contains short film "Snake Feed," on which feature film was based
- MPAA rating: R for pervasive drug content, language and some sexuality
- Feature film run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Guide Review - Down to the Bone DVD Review
Down to the Bone is unforgettable because of its outstanding performances, strong sense of place and brilliant character study. At Sundance, the film won a Director's Award for Debra Granik and a Special Jury Award for lead actress Vera Farmiga. It's the best movie about drug addiction I've seen.
In the film, Irene (Farmiga) is a mother of two kids who lives in a semi-rural area in upstate New York. She's unhappy with her job as a supermarket clerk, and although her working-class husband isn't a bad man, she's unhappy in her marriage. To make her hardscrabble life more bearable, she uses cocaine.
But the movie really gets interesting when Irene decides to try to turn her life around. She goes through rehab, then to Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Soon she starts a love affair with a man (played by Canadian rocker Hugh Dillon) who works at a rehab center, and it's not long until her life is in a bigger mess than ever.
The DVD provides a feature-length audio commentary track with co-writer/director Debra Granik and lead actress Vera Farmiga that is definitely worth listening to. They talk about shooting in real places (rehab facility, police station, NA meeting, etc.) They say the film's two main characters are based on real people, and a drug counselor, an attorney and a reptile dealer play themselves. Also, the DVD contains Granik's short "Snake Feed" (23 min.), on which Down to the Bone was based.
