I read this book by Dorothy Allison in 2006. My diary entry says, "Gritty, sick to your stomach scenes of violence and family turmoil. Hard to read but captivating." That about sums up the movie too, watching Bone get abused just feels like you are being kicked in the gut. The casting was great. Jennifer Jason Leigh is Bone's mother, Leigh's look can change from sweet to haggard in an instant - a quality that served her well in this movie.
But the star was Jena Malone as Bone. She was heartbreaking. She gave life to moments of pure childish joy like singing gospel songs with her sister into a spinning fan (remember how that makes you voice vibrate?) and then MISERY. She keeps getting taken to the brink of hope and then pushed down again. The scene where Bone is carried to the car by her mother is a prime example; it appears they are running away to safety....but then mama's hand reaches out that car window back into the muck - ugh, just kill me here and now. Overall, an emotional film that as much as I can remember with five years past, stayed true to the feeling of the book.
1 comment:
I have read the book or seen the movie, but they both sound worthwhile.
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