Down to the Bone (2004)

A woman stuck in a stale marriage struggles to raise her children and manage her secret drug habit. But when winter comes to her small town, her balancing act begins to come crashing down.

Director:

Debra Granik

Writers:

Jean-Michel Dissard (additional writer), Debra Granik,

Stars:

Vera Farmiga, Hugh Dillon, Clint Jordan

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vera Farmiga	...	Irene
Hugh Dillon	...	Bob
Clint Jordan	...	Steve
Caridad 'La Bruja' De La Luz	...	Lucy (as Caridad De La Luz)
Jasper Daniels	...	Ben (as Jasper Moon Daniels)
Taylor Foxhall	...	Jason
Giles Penderghast	...	Pet Store Clerk
Terry McKenna	...	Gene
Richard Lieske	...	Richard
Hector Vasquez	...	Hector
Joel Saeks	...	Lars
Lori Berryman	...	Acupuncture Therapist
Walt Bolde	...	Walt
Edward Crawford	...	Kevin
Gia Mitchell	...	April

Storyline

Winter in hard-scrabble upstate New York. Irene is working class, a mother of two boys, and a user of cocaine. She gets into trouble and checks into a rehab program where she meets Bob, a nurse. After she goes home to her husband and returns to her job as a grocery checker, she stays in touch with Bob and the intimations of an affair begin. By now, she's changed jobs, cleaning houses with her friend Lucy. The temptations of drugs are close at hand. Can she handle sobriety? What about Bob?

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Plot Keywords:

check | nurse | friend | upstate new york | cocaine | 

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Taglines:

Old Habits Die Hard

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive drug content, language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 2005 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Csontodiglan

Filming Locations:

Bearsville, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$7,352 (USA) (25 November 2005)

Gross:

$7,352 (USA) (25 November 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Down to the Bone Productions, Susie Q Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Extension of Sundance Film Festival Award Winning Short SNAKEFEED.

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Connections

Remake of Snake Feed (1997)

User Reviews

Bleak and depressing and not particularly captivating

Given the subject matter of drug addiction Down to the Bone almost can't help but be a rather depressing film. But depressing doesn't necessarily have to mean bad. Unfortunately in this case it is in fact pretty bad. The film has some good things going for it, most notably the quality performance of Vera Farmiga in the central role of Irene, a working mom struggling with a cocaine addiction. But there isn't enough good here to outweigh the bad. The film's failings lie mainly with the story, which fails to captivate and never really seems to get going. Irene goes to rehab and comes home to a clueless husband who has no idea how to support her attempt to kick her habit. Irene grows close to another recovering addict, a male nurse from her rehab center. Complications ensue. But the story never really sparks to life. It doesn't seem as if the movie is really going anywhere. You can say it's a stark, realistic look at the day-to-day struggles of an addict. Maybe so but in this case it doesn't make for an interesting movie. The whole thing has a very "blah" feel to it. The minimalist cinematography doesn't help matters, adding another layer of drab to the incredibly drab proceedings. And none of the other performances measure up to Farmiga's. Hugh Dillon is OK as Irene's male nurse friend but nobody else in the cast adds anything of value to the proceedings. All in all this movie is a bleak, depressing and rather dull ride.