Bastard out of Carolina Movie Review 1996

Huston's steeped-in-controversy directorial debut tells the story of young mom Anney (Leigh), who lives a hardscrabble life in Greenville, South Carolina, with an illegitimate daughter nicknamed Bone (Malone). Working as a waitress, Anney's eager to find love and succumbs to the charms of laborer Glen (Eldard), despite his nasty temper. Eleven-year-old Bone and Glen are immediately at odds and he begins to beat her, with Anney unwilling to face the truth, until a final horrific event. Based on the 1992 semiautiobiographical novel by Dorothy Allison, the film was originally made for Ted Turner's TNT network but was rejected as unsuitable because of its graphic depiction of child abuse.

Distribution

BMG Entertainment, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036-4039, Phone: (212)930-4000, URL: http://www.bmg.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 97 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Child Abuse, Rape, American South, Family Ties, Moms, Childhood Visions, Bad Dads

Screenplay

Anne Meredith

Cast

Sonny Shroyer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jena Malone, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly, Lyle Lovett, Dermot Mulroney, Christina Ricci, Michael Rooker, Diana Scarwid, Susan Traylor, Grace Zabriskie

Cinematography

Anthony B. Richmond

Director

Anjelica Huston

Music

Van Dyke Parks

Producer

Gary Hoffman