Winter’s Bone (2010)

Directed by: Debra Granik
Written by: Debra Granik/Anne Rosellini
Based on book by: Diane Woodrell

Missouri is a desolate and depressing place. Within about five minutes of the opening credits of Winter’s Bone, I knew this. I mean, sure, I pretty much knew it before, but this film really drove the point home.

I’m sure that there are nice areas. Hell, there are probably nice areas of Alabama. I’ll never know, though, because I don’t ever plan on going there again to investigate. St. Louis may be a great city, but it’s surrounded by lots and lots of land that looks like the setting of Winter’s Bone.

Ree (the Oscar-nominated Jennifer Lawrence) is losing everything. Her mom has gone insane. Her little brother and sister are great, but they’re too young to take care of themselves. Here dad is a meth-maker who has been basically on the run for years. He just broke parole, so Ree may lose the rather meager housing that she and her family have left. If she doesn’t produce him or his remains soon, it will all be gone and she’ll have nowhere to go.

The rest of the film is her going on an Alice In Methland adventure trying to find out what happened to her dad. Unfortunately, the closest thing to the Scarecrow that she has is her rather menacing uncle, Teardrop (John Hawkes, also nominated). He’s abusive but, ultimately, wants his niece to be ok.

The rest of the people, on the other hand, are such terrible people that it’s hard to believe that they exist. They are meth makers and dealers who will not lift a finger to help a young girl who is looking for her father.

Ree goes from place to place trying to find information about her father and, while she does find bits and pieces, the people she goes to are hateful and clam up when she gets to them. They have their reasons, but they don’t seem to care that this young girl and her two younger siblings will be homeless in a week.

Winter’s Bone is a pretty harrowing tail with some amazing acting and I can absolutely see why it was considered one of the ten best of the year.

The only problem that I had with the film is the ending. I don’t want to give anything away, but it is a very Hollywood ending. I kind of wonder if the ending has been changed from book to screen. Does anyone know?

This little film is full of great performances, but Jennifer Lawrence is the real revelation. I completely understand her nomination and the film’s nominations. It may be one of the lesser of the ten that would not have been nominated had we still been on the five film system, but I certainly don’t begrudge it’s nomination for Best Picture this year.

Don’t see Winter’s Bone for a feel-good time with some happy characters who are looking for love. Even though it has a pretty Hollywood ending, it still isn’t particularly happy. See it for some great acting and an amazing story of perseverance and overcoming adversity in what is basically a journey into being a full-grown woman in a horrible, horrible place. And, while that’s been done over and over again, Granik, Rosellini and Woodrell have done it better than most.