Director: Debra Granik
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes & Garret Dillahunt
A cold, harsh but tense and gripping drama, featuring strong performances from Lawrence and Hawkes making Winter’s Bone an impressive film.
Adapted from the novel by Daniel Woodrell, Winter’s Bone is only Debra Granik’s second film after 2004’s Down to the Bone but the film comes to cinemas already with some critical acclaim after winning the Grand Jury prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Winter’s Bone turns out to be worth the acclaim being a gripping drama with impressive performances from its cast, particularly Jennifer Lawrence in the leading role having been developing her name off the back of several dramatic supporting roles, and marks Granik as a highly promising director worth watching in the future.
Living in an impoverished part of the Ozarks, Missouri, Ree Dolly (Lawrence) is left to look after her younger brother and sister and her near comatose mother in lieu of her father’s absence. When the local Sheriff (Dillahunt) turns up at her house one day saying her father is due in court on charges of making meth in a week’s time and has put up the family home as payment for his bond should he not appear, Ree finds herself searching for her missing father hoping to get him to appear and save herself and her family from ending up homeless. Ree finds this more difficult than hoped when her uncle Teardrop (Hawkes) and some of her father’s past associates refuse to assist her in her search or provide her with answers for his absence and all warn her of dangers facing her should she continue her search. Ree continues out of desperation knowing the risk to her safety whilst also coming to terms with her suspicions that her father may never be found for reasons no one wishes to confirm.
Winter’s Bone is an impressive drama even qualifying as a mystery and thriller with its lead character’s search and the dangers she faces raising a fair amount of tension throughout the film. There is also much tension to be derived from the fact that the lead character is a 17 year old girl as, when it becomes obvious that Ree’s father is more than just missing and the reasons for why that is, Ree’s slight build and the nature of the people who possess the answers to her questions makes her vulnerability and the very real threat to her life should she pursue her search all the more clear leading to several scenes where the level of intimidation being directed against Ree, including one scene of violence, leaves audiences guessing as to whether she will walk away at all. While the mystery of what has happened to Ree’s father is easily solved, the real mystery throughout the film is over whether Ree can prove it, whether she can survive it and who, if any, of her father’s past associates including family members can be trusted. Winter’s Bone is a gripping drama most of all for its character’s which are brought to life by some of the excellent performances of the cast but also impressive is the cinematography where this impoverished Ozark community is brought to cold, harsh life where a kind of untamed beauty can be seen but where the unforgiving nature of the environment takes precedent making the attitudes of it’s community almost understandable and the inner strength that some, like Ree, need to endure it clear.
Winter’s Bone is film that impresses most through its performances. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent in the lead role of Ree Dolly where her character’s conviction and strength is believable despite the youth of the character and the actress as is the desperation she feels which drives her also. Lawrence gives a performance that delivers upon the promise she had shown in earlier supporting roles setting her up here with the proof that she can lead a film and has a promising career as a dramatic actress ahead of her. The film also features good performances from its supporting cast. John Hawkes (TV’s Deadwood) is particularly impressive as Ree’s uncle Teardrop, an individual whose temperament and history keeps even some of the most intimidating of Ree’s father’s associates on edge. It is a performance where Hawkes plays against type having been best known for more sympathetic and caring characters and he delivers it convincingly being suitably intimidating whilst also keeping his loyalties unknown until later and motives believable when they are revealed. Other supporting roles are good including Dale Dickey as the partner of one of Ree’s father’s most dangerous associates and Garret Dillahunt as the town sheriff.
Winter’s Bone is a gripping drama. It is cold and hard but engaging with moments of real tension and featuring some impressive performances from Lawrence and Hawkes. An excellent film.
Rating: 4/5
