Jennifer Lawrence did a few films before Winter's Bone, but this was the first film I can remember seeing her in. Winter's Bone crosses lightly into the thriller genre with a bit of suspense but seems more grounded in the stronger dramatic elements created by the characters. It is an older film that I would recommend fans of Lawrence seek out as it is the first film that her on my radar.
Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is a "Bred and Buttered" Dolly. The Seventeen-year-old Ree lives alone in little more than a shack with her invalid mother and young brother and sister. Her father, Jessup Dolly, is renowned locally for his impeccable meth-lab standards. With a looming court date, Jessup is missing. The home and timber acreage that his family calls home has been secured against his bond. This puts Ree in the precarious position of finding her father before his court date to prevent the forfeiture of his bond.
A task like this may seem simple. But in the backwaters of the Ozark Mountains, people don't talk much. There is a code. It is the same code that would make you feel more shame that someone is a snitch than a meth dealer. The code doesn't respect bloodlines or gender. If you step out of line, you are bound to end up "et by hogs." It is the type of place where you are only told something once (verbally). A place that would allow children to suffer rather than violate an unwritten code of conduct that boils down to "mind your own business." This is the challenge that Ree undertakes with a passion that is likely to get her killed (or et by hogs).
In the process of meeting the quirky (and often scary) denizens of Ree's community, we are provided insight into the disappearance of Jessup. Ree's Uncle, affectionately known as Teardrop (John Hawkes), provides our first glimpse of the code when he tells Ree that it is no one else's choice about whether a man is ready to go to jail or not. Teardrop is a scary, unbalanced and equally unpredictable guy. He provides Ree with sage advice about avoiding distant relatives that the family has feuded with in the past and strongly suggests that Ree find some other activity to occupy her time. Ree has no chance of redeeming her family alone, but fate has a different design.
Director Debra Granik teamed with writer Anne Rosellini to adapt the screenplay for Winter's Bone from the novel, written by Daniel Woodrell. I have not read the novel, but felt the bitter chill of the Ozark's pour out of Granik and Rosellini's work. I would guess that the screenplay likely did the novel justice. The rich, detailed backdrops, intriguing character development and salty dialogue provided needed depth for this drama. The plot itself was fairly simple and straight-forward, so the added regional flavor greatly enhanced the script. I am not familiar with folks in the Ozark Mountains, but have met plenty of folks that these characters resembled. Some of the dialogue closely mirrored dialect that I have heard from Kentuckians (located near the Ozarks), so I would guess the dialogue was fairly accurate. As a whole, the writing was spot on. Although the film was carried by the characters more than the plot, it worked for me. The dialogue had a great deal to do with that success.
The casting looked like it might have been taken straight from "the people of walmart dot com." It was an exercise in dysfunction that proved to enhance the visual appeal of this film. To capture a rugged lifestyle lacking any amenities beyond running water and electricity requires a look that goes beyond physical appearance. It is found in posture and an inner quality as well as the dialogue. The cast was exceptional, especially Lawrence, whose performance was stunning. I predicted her success after seeing this film in the theater many years ago. I was also very impressed with Hawke and Dickey, who made this film very convincing to me. The only actor that really seemed out-of-place to me was Kevin Breznahan as Ree's cousin "Little Arthur." Breznahan seemed a little soft in the role...for a guy that supposedly shot a certified badass and lived to talk about it. But overall, the performances helped create the illusion.
Without incredible cinematography, Winter's Bone fails. It is important to mention because of the incredible detail and rich backdrops that created the feel of this film. The cold was captured well with close-ups of icicles on a rocking horse as well as other shots. The scenery was captured with rich timber shots as well as a heavy dose of time-worn buildings and homes that capture the poverty of the region. Difficult scenes, like one that depicts two characters skinning a squirrel help drive the imagery home. I would be willing to bet that they actually skinned that squirrel (so animal-lovers beware). Instead of expensive CGI, Winter's Bone uses quality camera angles to establish the feel of the movie. It was refreshing to see rich cinematography without the flash and bang that seem to come standard in everything Hollywood has produced in recent years.
Winter's Bone was the third film that Debra Granik directed. I have not seen her first two films. but enjoyed her most recent film Leave No Trace. What I liked about Granik was her ability to utilize everything at her disposal to create the mood she wanted to set. In this film, it is poverty and isolation. It is a lifestyle that may not recognize itself as poverty, but that is what this film captured. Granik uses the camera to capture carefully selected scenery to provide visual cues. She selected a cast that was able to exude the ruggedness of the characters her script crafted. The characters were clad in costumes that enhanced their visual effect. All of these effects were subtly tied together with a musical score that captured the mood with a wailing blue-grassy feel. The music was incorporated into the script itself, rather than resting beneath the dialogue like mood music often does. Although the music was not a central part of the film, it greatly enhanced my enjoyment of it (and I don't even like that kind of music). Granik is a talented director. I am surprised it took so long between this film and her most recent.
Winter's Bone was one of the best films of 2010. It is an excellent film filled with quirky characters, tense dialogue, a simple plot and exceptional cinematography. Granik has given us movie buffs something to be thankful for. A film that actually uses good cinema to connect with the audience. No gimmicks, no special effects, just cold hard reality. It worked. 8/10.
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