Bastard Out of Carolina

Bastard Out Of Carolina (1996)

Directed by Anjelica Houston, based on the book by Dorothy Allison

Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Jenna Malone, Glenne Headley, Lyle Lovett, Michael Rooker

Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright (Jenna Malone) was born on a bad day to her mother Anney (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Anney, her brothers and sister are involved in an auto accident in which she is thrown through the windshield at nine months pregnant, and awakens in the hospital after delivering her baby girl, Ruth Anne (named by her aunts after her aunt and her mother). Nicknamed “Bone” by an uncle that says she’s “no bigger than a knucklebone”, Ruth Anne is declared illegitimate by the county – her unseen and unnamed father haven been driven out of town by Anney’s menacing mother (Grace Zabriskie).

Anney’s love for her child, and desire to give Bone a life better than hers, leads to her search for a father for Bone, someone who can provide for the family and give them the life they deserve. Lyle (Dermot Mulrooney) is just that man, and we see a brief romance, followed by marriage and another child for Anney. We are given a glimpse of the genuine love Lyle has for Anney and Bone, only to have the dream wrenched from us in a predictable twist of fate.

Determined not to give up on her dreams, Anney meets and marries yet another promising man, Glen (Ron Eldard). It is apparent from early on that Ron’s attempts to endear himself to the children are desperate, though the true nature of his intent is not yet known. Pregnant again, Anney is hospitalized during the last trimester – losing the baby (and presumably any other chance for children). The blow is devastating to Glen, who had hoped desperately for a son. It is during Anney’s stay in the hospital that we begin to see the depths of this man’s torment.

Bastard out of Carolina is a brutal story, filling the viewer with frustration and rage at the events as they occur. The abuse - physical, emotional and sexual – that Bone endures is angering and terrifying, though not graphic. We are introduced to the sexual molestation not in a dramatic sequence, but subtly, and with very little detail. In one scene we realize what is about to occur (though we hope not), and through Bone’s reaction we realize this was not the first time. Bone expresses little emotion throughout the ordeal, and afterwards – but we can see the anguish in her eyes, and feel her helplessness. As the film progresses, so does the violence. The abuse becomes less a statement of love towards young Bone, and more anger and resentment toward her. The strappings and beatings are not very graphic at first– we see very little impact but hear the cries from behind closed doors, witness the despondency of Bone afterwards, and eventually see the wounds themselves. As the abuse worsens, the viewer sees more and more, until ultimately we are faced with the most horribly brutal scene ever to grace our screen.

The reaction of Bone is predictable – she is to blame. She has done or said something to provoke this. Her mother’s own words – “what did you do” –pierce our hearts, and we want to cry out that no one deserves such punishment. Bone is helpless to tell anyone because of her own shame, and even those closest to her – her aunts – are unable to get a response from her. Glen succeeds in keeping the family at a distance and the abuse continues, unsuspected and unimpeded. Aunt Ruth’s (Glenne Headley) gentle prodding is our first glimpse, and perhaps Bone’s as well, that anyone else is sympathetic to her plight, but also helpless to do anything. It isn’t until the family is faced with glaring evidence of the abuse that anyone recognizes and acknowledges it. The men in this story – the uncles and brothers – are relatively one dimensional. We see them drinking, and smoking, and socializing. When finally aware of Bone’s abuse, we see them exacting their justice – another beating – to the abuser. We also witness the abuser’s own demons – the dominant and abusive father he had. Violence begets violence, and abuse is cyclical.

The most disturbing aspect of Bastard Out Of Carolina though, is not the brutal abuse, or Bone’s anguish. The most disturbing part of the story is Anney’s own denial. When faced with the knowledge of the ongoing physical abuse, and witnessing the most horrible atrocities committed against her own daughter, Anney remains torn between her love for her daughter, and her co-dependency on Glen. It is unfathomable that any mother could place her own need for companionship ahead of her love for her daughter and her responsibility to keep her children safe from harm.

Bastard Out Of Carolina is a heart-wrenching and unflinching look at a problem that plagues every community, and has touched many families. Everything in this film is real – every emotion, every cry, grimace and tear – right to the ending, which remains painfully, and realistically, unfulfilling.