Down to the Bone (2004)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

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 have been watching Vera Farmiga these years and consider her one of the best actresses soaring in a higher altitude. She seems to be able to grab any role's soul she played and so convincingly delivered. Her facial expressions are always more believable than most of the female actors. There's a rare haunted subtlety that only a few female actors got and that subtlety is what I appreciated most. But somehow such essence might also limit herself if she tried to play comedy roles. Playing characters under extremely stressful or tough situations are where her strength founded. That might also be the answer to why she's so outstanding when playing roles in drama, suspenseful thriller, tragedy; those soul searching, self-destruction, struggling characters that would shock you to the bone and whip your soul.This movie is just like that. Vera Farmiga is a dark force on the silver screen you have to recognize seriously, a rare find in the already out-of-control pests infested Hollywood.

I caught this tonight on PBS, in their Independent Film program. Would never have seen it otherwise, which would have been just fine with me.I found this to be possibly the most depressing, boring, blank thing I've seen in ages, perhaps since the last depressing, boring, blank indie film I watched on PBS.Why why why do directors and writers...filmmakers...think that this approach makes in any way for compelling and interesting watching? They're so in love with their boring vision that they think everyone else is as well.Not an engaging moment in the piece. The performances seemed to take place underwater, the actors seemed to actually be on drugs (which may or may not be indicative of their acting skill), and the upstate locations (fond as I am of upstate NY) were photographed, and telegraphed, to be the outward manifestation of the characters' paucity of spirit. Which annoyed the hell out of me. In fact, this whole movie annoyed the hell out of me.

I completely disagree with some of the comments below. This is a really well done independent film. I went into it not knowing anything about it and was blown away. It's a very nuanced and natural feeling film about what a woman with a family goes through with what seems to start out as a casual drug addiction. To me, it came off as a realistic and personal portrayal of a woman's struggle. And not the least bit glamorized in my view. As far as the cinematography goes, I thought it was perfect for the film. It definitely added to its impact. The verite style gives the viewer a feeling of following around a real woman with a serious problem and a family to look after. I also thought the setting of the film was interesting and unlike what we see in so many films. This includes the socio-economic level of the family, definitely not the rich kids we always see dabbling in drugs or, on the other end, urban gangsters dealing drugs (yes, I'm generalizing, but you know what I mean). These people fall somewhere in the middle. And last but not least, Farmiga's performance was brilliant. I've been keeping an eye out for her ever since seeing this film. Judging by the list of upcoming films on her IMDb profile, others took notice, too. I'm also very curious to see what Granik does next-- I hope she makes another film soon!