Digging to China
Digging to China ★★½ 1998 (PG)
Directorial debut of Hutton is the sentimental story of a sweet friendship between misfits—precocious 10-year-old Harriet (Wood) and mentally handicapped 30-year-old Ricky (Bacon). Harriet's alcoholic mom (Moriarty) runs a motel in rural New Hampshire (film is set in the mid-'60s) with Harriet's slutty older sister Gwen (Masterson). Ricky winds up at the motel with his dying mother Leah (Seldes), who was taking him to an institution when her car breaks down. Harriet thinks Ricky is a terrific playmate but after some shocking news, the young girl and her new friend decide to run away—causing a lot of trouble. 98m/C VHS, DVD . Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson, Cathy Moriarty, Marian Seldes; D: Timothy Hutton; W: Karen Janszen; C: Jorgen Persson; M: Cynthia Millar.