Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.I gave this film a high rating simply because of the cast. Michael Rooker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jena Malone, Christina Ricci... that already has me in 100% no matter what the film is.But, of course, this is also a really good movie. I hear it is controversial and some places had it banned and others have called for the director to be arrested. Maybe I didn't see the same film you did, because the one I saw was a realistic condemnation of child abuse, and that should be applauded.

I just watched this movie on Lifetime, and was reminded of my time living in the south. When I was living in the south, time after time, I would see a husband who was a total scumbag, and his wife would never leave him. In other parts of the United States there would be a separation instantly. But in the South Women are afraid to stand up to their man. This movie was tough to watch. This little girl was severely abused, and molested by her step- father, and her mother refused to do anything about it. When she told her daughter at the end of the movie that she still Love's Glen, I was sick to my stomach.

This movie is a masterpiece.It deals with a touchy subject. The actors and actresses play there parts so well. You can actually see the sadness in Malone and the hate in Eldard's face. Its sad because things like this happen all the time. This movie is not some fake movie that someone made up in there head. Its truth this does happen to people. And its sad because Leigh's character as the lonely mother is real there are mothers out there that are stuck between loving there child or there lover. Its a sad situation and this movie shows you life. This movie is for sure excellent 10 stars from me.I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes serious movies that just have you on the edge of your seat.

This is an often shocking but necessary film about a young girl called Bone and the abuse she suffers at the hands of her stepfather, Daddy Glen. The film is hard to watch at times but there are lighter moments when Bone's extended family are on screen. The book contains a much wider scope and naturally many of these subplots didn't make it into the screenplay. Ultimately, the film feels a little rushed and could have benefited from another half hour or so.The quality of the acting is patchy. Lyle Lovett's delivery of his few lines of dialogue is very wooden compared to Michael Rooker's excellent portrayal of gentle giant Earl. Jena Malone does a brilliant job in obviously difficult circumstances as young Bone. The look in her eyes breaks your heart whenever things are about to turn violent, making you want to rescue her yourself. Jennifer Jason Leigh is fine as Bone's mother but you feel like you never really get to see beneath the surface of her determined expression to understand her motives for standing by her man in the face of Glen's obvious resentment of her daughter.Ron Eldard is excellent in his depiction Glen, expertly capturing the character's pathetic childishness behind those icy blue eyes. Eldard often seems to play characters with a dark side and this role plays to his strengths, even if his southern accent slips from time to time. His scenes of violence with Bone are harrowing to watch and you can't help but feel uncomfortable, given the age of Jena Malone at the time. I know it's 'only acting' but the scenes are very realistic and graphic for a young actress to endure.The film is one that ought to be shown to any single mother tempted to jump into a relationship with a hot-headed young man with questionable intentions.