for more than a decade , anjelica huston has been one of america 's finest actresses .
in her directorial debut , bastard out of carolina , based upon dorothy allison 's largely autobiographical book on child abuse and poverty in the south , huston displays impressive proficiency behind the camera as well .
the film tells the story of ruth anne boatwright , nicknamed bone by one of her uncles at birth , in post - world war ii south carolina .
through voice - over ( narration done by laura dern ) , we find that she nearly did n't survive birth , as her single mother anney , played by jennifer jason leigh , was thrown through the windshield during an automobile accident .
that 's just the beginning of her troubles .
bone is deemed illegitimate on her birth certificate , a social stigma which her mother and her large poor family obsesses over for years to come .
anney meets and weds lyle , a kind man and good stepfather whom gives bone a baby sister before dying in an automobile accident .
anney 's brother earle , played by michael rooker , introduces her to glen , played by ron eldard , a co - worker at the mill .
glen , the black sheep of a wealthy family ( " when are you gon na make your daddy proud ?
i 'll tell you when - never !
"
he 's told ) and filled with bitterness , courts anney and eventually wins her , despite warnings of a violent temper .
when anney miscarries with his much - prized baby boy , glen loses his capability to supress his violent outbursts and begins to direct them at bone , beating and abusing her , while the love - dependent anney tries to turn a blind eye and justify his behaviour .
things turn for the worse when glen loses his job and the family of four sink into impoverishment .
while set several decades ago , this story remains completely relevant in today 's society , where abused wives return to their husbands , and abuse committed against children by one spouse is routinely overlooked by the other .
the real star of this domestic drama is not top - billed jennifer jason leigh , but child actress jena malone , who plays bone in a wrenching and wholly impressive debut performance .
her work is of award - calibre , and in this age in which a preponderence of superb child performers have emerged ( kirsten dunst , tina majorino , anna paquin , natalie portman , christina ricci , elijah wood ) , malone 's performance stands up well .
leigh 's performance in bastard out of carolina is fine , although she 's not really given much to do , and ron eldard work is very solid , skillfully manouvering his character 's moods in and out of explosive rage .
one can always sense that underneath his glen is a pressure - cooker ticking away .
of the supporting cast , special note must be made of the criminally underrated michael rooker 's performance .
there 's a bit too much generic formulaism in the screenplay for my taste , from the various characters spouting off country bumpkinisms , to the familiar sight of a dried - up uptight wise old granny ( played by grace zabriskie ) sitting on the porch rocking chair , to impassioned soliloquies better suited for a stage performance .
still , it can not be denied that anne meredith 's screenplay contains a wallop of emotional power .
huston 's direction of the film is surehanded and impressive , giving the film good pacing and eliciting good performances from her cast , particularly the young malone .
her sequences of child abuse are shot in a hard - hitting emotional , rather than graphic , manner , and are very effective .
huston 's talent with camera positioning is wonderful , from a visually striking shot done through a fan , to an extended sequence in the front seat of an automobile .
the film has the toned - down feel of a television production ; bastard out of carolina was originally composed and cut for broadcast on the tnt cable station , who ended up declining the film due to sentiments that scenes of abuse and rape in the film were too disturbingly realistic for their audience .
perhaps some sequences of the film may be unpleasant , but as a whole bastard out of carolina adds up to a powerful viewer experience worth seeing .
Output: P