Down to the Bone
Written by Debra Granik and Richard Lieske
Directed by Debra Granik
Laemmle/Zeller Films
2005
Rating:


Dramas about drug addiction tend to be overwrought rather than realistic, preferring scenes of rock-bottom abusers doing anything for drugs over the more subtle descent into desperation. "Down to the Bone" is an anomaly in that, except for an overbearing and obvious leitmotif of a pet snake, it's all about subtlety.

The desperation is quiet as superstore cashier Irene (Vera Farmiga) attempts to leave her bleak life in upstate New York through a coke habit. Irene tries to get clean when she goes so far as to lick the old coke stuck in her snorting straw and then tries to cash her son's birthday check from his grandmother for drug money. Irene goes through rehab and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, but she has trouble staying clean after she becomes involved with Bob (Hugh Dillon), a recovering heroin addict and rehab nurse who falls back into drug addiction.

Farmiga's performance is absent of the cliched tics in actorly drug addiction. The way Farmiga embodies Irene, from her habit of putting her feet up on tables to the way she lovingly talks to her children, is a feat of mesmerizing, unshowy craftsmanship. There's an ache in Farmiga's eyes when Irene sees how the child of another drug-addicted couple is consumed by sadness. The tragedy is that despite knowing a similar fate is in store for her sons, Irene can't keep from using because it's the only thing that can bring her happiness. Farmiga makes that need for the lift of drugs understandable and her acknowledgment that this is no way to go through life makes Irene's struggle heartbreaking.

Posted Wednesday, December 14, 2005

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