Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
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A young girl struggles to escape the cycle of domestic violence and abuse within her own family.
The story
In 1950s Greenville, a young girl named Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright grows up in a poor neighborhood with her mother, Anney, and their extended family. Born out of wedlock, Bone faces the shame of her "ILLEGITIMATE" status. After Anney's first husband dies, she remarries Glen Waddell. However, following the death of their infant child, Glen becomes increasingly volatile and begins to physically and sexually abuse Bone. Despite the horrific treatment, Anney remains with Glen, leading Bone to seek refuge with her relatives as she navigates the trauma of her domestic life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright is a young girl growing up in Greenville in the 1950s. Born out of wedlock to Anney, Bone lives with her mother and their extended family in a poor part of town. Anney loves Bone, but is still very much a child herself, exhausted from working and needy for both attention and adoration. Bone and Anney nearly always face the shame of the "ILLEGITIMATE" stamp on Bone's birth certificate. After Anney's first husband, Lyle Parsons, is killed in an automobile accident, Anney remarries Glen Waddell. After their baby dies at birth, Glen begins to physically and sexually abuse Bone regularly. After a severe beating leaves Bone with a broken coccyx, Anney takes her to the hospital but later returns to Glen. Bone eventually spends time with her Aunt Ruth, who dies shortly after. At Ruth's funeral, Bone's Aunt Raylene discovers the abuse and alerts Bone's uncles, who brutalize Glen. Bone is sent to live with her aunts. When Glen tries to force her to return, she refuses, but he eventually rapes her and breaks her arm. Anney discovers the rape and beats Glen with a milk bottle before driving away with Bone. However, Anney eventually reconciles with Glen, leaving Bone shocked and disgusted. Bone is eventually allowed to stay with her Aunt Raylene and Uncle Earle. Her mother visits one last time to deliver her birth certificate without the "ILLEGITIMATE" mark, apologizes for her actions, and leaves to rejoin Glen. Bone remains with her aunts, finally achieving freedom.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Anjelica Huston
- Writers
- Anne Meredith · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jena Malone · Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright; Jennifer Jason Leigh · Anney Boatwright; Ron Eldard · Glen Waddell; Glenne Headly · Ruth; Lyle Lovett · Wade; Kelsey Elizabeth Boulware · Bone at age 4; Dermot Mulroney · Lyle Parsons; Christina Ricci · Dee Dee
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- Child sexual abuse; Illegitimacy; Domestic violence; Dysfunctional families; Mother-daughter relationships
- Tone and mood
- Dramatic; Somber; Tragic
- Premise and plot tags
- Drama; Based on a novel; Television film
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1992 novel by Dorothy Allison
- Content notes
- Child sexual abuse; Domestic violence; Rape
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75% score on Metacritic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 100% · review count: 9 critics; Metacritic · score: 75% · review count: 11 critics
- Awards and nominations
- Emmy Award · Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Special · Won; Emmy Award · Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special · Nominated; Emmy Award · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special · Nominated; Emmy Award · Outstanding Made for Television Movie · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was banned by Canada's Maritime Film Classification Board in 1997.; It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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