Down to the Bone

Working class wife Irene (Vera Farmiga) is a checkout clerk at the local supermarket in upstate New York. Her life is everything but a dream. While her marriage is beginning to fall apart and she is fighting to be a good and supporting mother, Irene is trying to kick a grave drug-habit. One night at Halloween things get out of hand. As she is preparing her two sons for trick or treating, she slips in to the bathroom to snort some cocain. After that, she steals her son's birthday money and gets in the car to get her hands on some more. The next day, she decides to get into rehab where she soon gets involved with the nurse and former addict Bob.
As winter is putting its filter over the grey settings, their relationship deepens. Although Irene considers Bob to be the saviour of her world, things aren't always what you want them to be.
This white trash drama treats everyday life in the outbaclcs of the USA with a shaky camera and long takes that gives the dark fiction a documentary feel.
Down to the Bone earned Granik the Director's Award and Vera Farmiga the Special Jury Prize for her performance at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

OLIVIA DEMANT