Very disappointing...

Memorable, crazy movie

Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Most of us watch films to be entertained in one way or another, and entertainment implies enjoyment. That said, sometimes "enjoyment" is not one the mind as more realistic, perhaps more honest films unspool lives destroyed by drugs or alcohol.Down To The Bone is such a film, a frank portrait concerning the insidious drag of drug addiction, about the social and personal trap that occurs when a debilitating drive becomes so strong a life is in shreds; Vera Farmiga won an award for her performance as an addicted mother of two who can no longer connect with her husband and little wonder (he's not terribly sensitive or reflective); her job is a dead-end, and a side romance turns into another addiction; the film is not a cheerer-upper in any way, is not strong on plot or action, but captures perfectly the life of someone hopelessly strung out; if you might find this an interesting slice of life to watch, perhaps you will enjoy it or even exult in it's power.It's not always easy to define Entertainment, and though this is not much fun, it's certainly incisive about it's subject matter, and features another stunning performance from it's magnetic lead.

I saw this because I enjoyed the intense experience of Debra Granik's more recent film, "Winter's Bone". This film, similarly titled "Down to the Bone", covers somewhat the same emotional range. It is a very bleak story, but not entirely the most accomplished one. The problem with attempting an unpredictable story of addiction is in following the predictable life of an addict. This film is neither complex enough or well executed enough to really give us a new way of seeing things. Better cinematography could have helped. Using very cheap digital equipment (though probably more high tech as of 2004), Granik and cinematographer Michael McDonough take "Down to the Bone" in a more vérité-style direction. But the production values are low and poor even by normal documentary standards. This is a style that would only have great merit if this truly was a documentary, and not a dramatic film. The use of a soundtrack and other cinematic devices detracts from any possible grittiness that could have added to the feel.The truth and power lies in the acting, as understated as it is here. It's refreshing to see human lives without a lot of exaggeration or demonstrative emoting. Vera Farmiga is the best thing going here, and I found her style compelling. The other performances are all good, and never feel any less than real. In the end, something about this film feels unfinished. Debra Granik has gone on to do a much better picture with "Winter's Bone". This is in interesting starting place, but it just isn't enough more than that.

I caught this last night on PBS as the Independent movie in their usual Classic/Short/Independent lineup on Saturday nights knowing that Vera Farmiga was the lead and hoping that she'd turn in a raw, unaffected, moving performance. In the end, her performance was good but the movie and the material was not and nothing could save this film. The movie is about Irene (Farmiga), who is a cashier at a local supermarket, a Mother to 2 young boys, who has had a cocaine addiction since High School and wrestles with the need to get clean and change her life around.Drab. Boring. Uninspiring. That would be 3 great words to describe this movie. Not much happens and while not much had to happen for it to be captivating or deemed a good film, the overall slow, monotonous way this film operates is enough to put anyone to sleep. It seems as if the movie starts at a certain tone, continues through that tone and ends in that same tone - no high points, no real low points, just one continuous tone that creates an overall dull movie.I'd rate this movie a 3 out of 10. I get that the movie was going for realism but every movie should have at least one heart pounding moment where the audience cares about what is going to happen to one of the characters and this movie just didn't have that or really anything to raise the tone above drab.Oh and a sidenote - the most annoying part of this move is the eldest of her two children. Someone needs to teach that actor to breathe out of his nose because every single scene he was in and there were many, all I could hear was him disgustingly breathing out of his mouth so loudly that I couldn't really concentrate on the dialogs or anything else but his sleep apnea like gasps of air. It was gross.

Director Debra Granik knows how to tell a story in such a subtle way that even when the topic is drug addiction she allows her characters to be three-dimensional people instead of the usual stereotypes that conflict the emotional impact of such films.Irene (Vera Farmiga, an intensely talented young actress) is the mother of two sweet boys Ben (Jasper Daniels) and Jason (Taylor Foxhall) and is married to a nice guy Steve (Clint Jordan) who plays with drugs but is in no way as addicted as Irene is to cocaine. The story takes us through Irene's addiction, her committing herself to a drug rehab program where she meets Lucy (Caridad 'La Bruja' De La Luz), also kicking her habit, and male nurse Bob (Hugh Dillon) who has been clean from heroin addiction for five years. Irene leaves the rehab too early (she is mostly concerned about the welfare of her children and her job) and when she starts back to work as a grocery checker she is dismissed when she confesses to prior drug use: being 'clean' makes her slower at the check out stand! She partners with Lucy cleaning homes, trying to straighten out her life, but falls in love with Bob and together they have an affair and start using again. Rather than end the story the writers (Debra Granik and Richard Lieske) simply allow the story to remain open ended, much the way the daily lives of those struggling with the demon of drug addiction live. This technique of unresolved relationships is immensely powerful.The performance by Farmiga establishes her as one of our truly important actresses. She gives us a credible human being who is out of focus with the world because of her drug use, but despite some borderline behavior patterns she maintains our compassion. The remainder of the cast is superb. The icy cinematography by Michael McDonough and the superb film editing by Malcolm Jamieson deserve applause. This is a powerful little film that provides more understanding of the psyches of those struggling to live both with addiction and after addiction. Highly recommended. Grady Harp