Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone (2010)
Directed by Debra Granik. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes.

83rd Oscars - 4 nominations: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

Bleak, above all, is the word that comes to mind in regards to the filmWinter's Bone. Set in the Ozarks, this film might as well be from another time period or another country, as its depiction of such a dirt poor lifestyle is just about as far from my own experience as you can get. Even the coloring of the film is gray and muted, as desolate as the story itself.

Winter's Bone is the tale of a teenage girl, Ree, who must shoulder far more responsibility than she should be required to at her young age of 17. With a mentally ill and completely blank mother, a missing father wanted by the law for methmaking, and two young siblings unable to take care of themselves, Ree is a quiet heroine. Her real journey begins when the Sheriff informs her that her father, Jessup, used their house for bail, and if he doesn't show up to a court date, they will lose their home. Completely singleminded in her quest to set things right and find Jessup, dead or alive, Ree sets off to question her father's fearsome associates.

Never once do you get the sense that Ree wishes her life were any different. She goes about tasks -- whether trying to get a meeting with big boss "Thump" or skinning a squirrel -- with solemn determination. This is a girl who could easily rival the toughness of True Grit's Maddie Ross. For relative newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for an Oscar, this is not a flashy performance, but it is a solid one. Somehow, her bravery holds the film from diving into misery, wallowing in the poverty, and becoming a hopeless tale of a horrible life.

Also nominated is John Hawkes, who plays Ree's uncle Teardrop. I was certainly more riveted by his performance than by Lawrence's, but that's because his character is hard to figure out. As a man who seems to have given up on the world, he rallies in the face of Ree's need for help. Hawkes' performance was, in my opinion, what brought out the beautiful themes of family and patriarchy, poverty and honor, and self-sufficiency.

As someone interested in entering the film industry some day, I'm always encouraged by female filmmakers -- and Winter's Bone was both written and directed by women. Though there was something hard to watch about this film, there was also a sense of beauty. These women were careful in bringing this story to life. There are numerous shots of Ree tromping through the woods -- off to try one last thing to save her family's home. For every moment where you wonder at the cruelty of this lifestyle, there is an anchoring it in normalcy -- Ree's sister playing with a stuffed animal pony, or her brother scuffling around outside with a skateboard. There is something utterly human at the base of this film, even as it presents unimaginable hardship.