Winter’s Bone is a great example of a production having a keen awareness of place. Often movies simply shuffle their characters from one location to the next without any care in making the most of its settings. Debra Granik’s direction corrects this by placing her ensemble of individuals in the centre of its desolate location. With harsh vistas matching the bleakness of their lives, this severe texture adds immeasurably to its gritty atmosphere.
Seventeen year old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) lives an impoverished existence in the Ozark Mountains. With her father missing and caring for an invalid mother and siblings, she attempts to ensure they’re safe. When the Sherriff informs her father has used their house as bail collateral and must front court otherwise it will be lost, she embarks on a quest to find him. Searching through the drug dens from which he makes his living, she discovers a seething underbelly of lies where finding the truth can be a very dangerous proposition.
Backed by Lawrence’s superbly understated performance, Winter’s Bone is an engrossing thriller. It does so by deriving tension from normal situations with its authenticity reflecting how everyone scrambles to protect their way of life. When Ree intrudes upon their lives, their code of honour and primal instincts prevent her from obtaining answers. This only makes her more determined and increases the threats against her which in turn helps the story maintain momentum.
Ree is never shown to be resentful of the desperate situation her father has placed her in. Her only aim is to care for her family and save what little they have. With fine acting and impressive cinematography, these articulate the good and bad aspects of such an insular township. There’s no room for the typical histrionics some suspense films have – Winter’s Bone is more interested in creating its own world with people wanting to become legends of their own frontiers.
Although occasionally difficult viewing, Winter’s Bone is definitely worth the effort. With a lead female character becoming the back-bone of her family, it shows how one’s personal strengths can maintain some aid in walking amongst a maelstrom of social chaos.
Movie Review Rating 8 / 10
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
Winter’s Bone released in Australia on Thursday 04 November 2010.
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