Winter's Bone

There aren't many surprises among this year's Golden Globe nominees, but Jennifer Lawrence's nomination for Winter's Bone stands out as one of the few.

For those who have seen the movie, however, Lawrence's Golden Globe nod  will be no surprise at all. She's a determined revelation in this  gritty, Ozarks-set crime drama, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell,  and the nomination is easily one of the strongest on the list.

Few seasoned Hollywood actresses can provide this kind of intensity and honesty.

Lawrence isn't the only good thing about Winter's Bone either, as  this is a movie that refuses to pull punches. The fact that it also  opens up a region and a culture rarely explored on film only adds to its  strength, and you'll come away feeling that you've had your eyes opened  to a whole new world. That it's a world you definitely won't want to  visit doesn't detract at all from its raw power.

Ree Dolly (Lawrence) has become the guardian of her two younger siblings  by default, after their father runs out on them and their mother falls  to mental illness - but this is a lot of weight to put on a 17-year  old's shoulders. Ree is old beyond her years, however, and when the  local Sheriff warns her that their daddy has put up the family home as  his bail bond she sets out to track him down, and make sure that he'll  be attending his court date.

This sounds simple enough, but Ree's father is a long-term meth cook and  addict, and he's got himself tangled up in some complicated - and  violent - affairs. As she delves deeper into his secrets it becomes  clear that the family is in even more trouble than they'd thought, and  that Ree's own life may be on the line.

To say that Winter's Bone is a brutal crime thriller is to  underplay its dramatic and social elements, both of which underpin an  already powerful story. The Ozarks (a highland area covering nearly  47,000 miles of central America) are portrayed with stark honesty, from  the poverty and squalor to the developing methamphetamine problem and  the bullish local crime families. Think of it as The Sopranos set in a redneck wilderness, and you're not far short of the truth.

We've already waxed lyrical about Jennifer Lawrence's breakout  performance but she's not alone, as the rest of the cast give an  impressive series of gritty, troubled character studies. Deadwood's  John Hawkes does incredible work as Ree's uncle Teardrop, slowly  turning him into the tale's least expected hero, while Dale Dickey (My Name Is Earl) is truly terrifying as the local matriarch. Watch out for Twin Peaks' Sheryl Lee in a brief appearance too.

Winter's Bone may not be easy viewing, but then few truly great  films are - and any film this engrossing has a license to get as dark as  it likes. There's every chance that you'll want to see Jennifer  Lawrence and director Debra Granik again. You might want to cancel that  vacation in the Ozarks, though.

5/5

Review:  So this movie has gotten all kinds of rave reviews and it piqued the interest of the Jeff Report and the Jackie Report.  After hunting down where it was playing in town we decided we wanted to see it.

I knew very little about the movie going in (which is usually a good thing) and I still got something I didn't see coming.  The movie involves a young girl who has to embark on a search for her father in the back woods of the Ozarks in Missouri.  You see, she has been informed that her father has recently gotten in trouble and to post bail, put up the title to their land and house.  This leads her to encounter many seedy and unsavory types her father was involved with, some of which are actually related to her.  Actually, are they all somehow related?  I am not sure and the movie is never quite clear.

That is where I had the issue with this movie.  Everything is just not quite clear.  Perhaps the filmmaker thought his audience was more intelligent than I am, I am not sure.  There is a certain artistic quality about not laying everything out for the audience which I feel this movie tried to embrace but I just feel like they left TOO much to supposition. 

The movie deals with the seedy underbelly of the apparently drug infested back woods of the Ozarks.  Who knows if it's actually quite that bad but I feel like the filmmakers wouldn't have done it as they did if there wasn't at least some basis for it.  However, as I am probably as unfamiliar as most people about this culture, it makes it hard to sympathize/understand what's going on.  There are a lot of unspoken rules/normalcies in this culture that are weird and go unexplained.  It makes it hard to follow the movie. 

The movie was very well made (especially for the budget) and very well acted which makes it very engrossing even if it is confusing.  It is definitely not for everyone, but if you are a movie buff and would like to see something different, then it's worth your time.

The character of Ree is something to behold. To see the world she lives in will astound you enough, let alone how she manages to live in it. She is mighty and fierce but yet so human. She does not back down even though she often can't handle the fight. She is naive perhaps, but if she wasn't then she wouldn't be a believable 17-year-old.

Her future has very little promise. She is left with a mentally invalid mother and two younger siblings to raise. Her initial desire to join the army establishes a vague notion that she has aspirations for her life, but more importantly it solidifies the commitment she is willing to make to help her family. By the end of the ordeal that is the plot of "Winter's Bone", her path becomes more uncertain than ever. She says to her brother and sister, "I would be lost without the weight of you two on my back." That phrase resonates with you and couldn't be anymore accurate (or unsubtle). She is someone who knows nearly nothing else in life but surviving and helping her siblings survive. But is determined to do those things right and well in a community where so much is wrong.

This character is truly a tribute to those youth whose lives are in some way restricted by their habitat or any circumstances beyond their control. The backbone and discipline they have is both astounding and heartbreaking. Jennifer Lawrence knows the age of her character and plays her accordingly with the appropriate amount of wariness but yet youthful optimism. She gives us hope for the character's future based on her determination but yet leaves us with uncertainty towards the stability of that hope in the years to come.

The plot to "Winter's Bone", while substantial enough and full of intensity at moments, really doesn't do much for the film with its disappointing lack of compelling mystery that you would expect given the premise. It winds up playing a supporting role with its partially unmotivated pacing that seems to do little but continue to further the story in an adequately efficient, even if not preferable, manner. The ending will intrigue you but the journey there just isn't as memorable.

What you will take away from the film is a look at the world Bree is confined to and her ability to stay afloat in it. Unfortunately, this is a story that is built to be driven by both plot and character but only achieves one of the two.