Winter's Bone Review

"Never ask for what oughta be offered." - Ree Dolly

Winter's Bone is probably one of the best films in years. I am still on the fence on whether or not to put it in my top three films of 2010. It would be there with Inception and Black Swan, because, like those films, Winter's Bone is new type of film experience for me. It introduces a kind of place I live around...well, probably worse. My community and the ones neighboring it at least make a huge attempt to look respectable and clean, whereas the existing in this film seems to have merely resigned itself to squalor and darkness. It takes place in a bleak, ragged, small town in the Ozark mountains. Most people are in on the drug trade, meth production in particular. The film introduces a terrific actress who perfectly plays what I think is a true American hero.

The film takes place in this day and age, even if there is a lack of flash and glamour or really modern technology at all (the most technologically advanced thing I saw were the trucks the characters drove in and the guns they carried). It focuses on the impoverished Dolly Family, particularly the eldest daughter. Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is 17 years old, apparently a high school drop out, and is taking care of her mentally gone mother and two child siblings. She is told that her missing father, Jessup, was arrested for cooking meth and jumped bail. More importantly, he put up his house as collateral for the bail money. Already a good macguffin, Ree has one week to find her father, dead or alive, and save the only home she or her family has. Jessup, however, went out for long periods before, but this time it is possible he might have been killed during one of his criminal excursions. This does not and cannot phase Ree, though, as she plunges fearlessly into the criminal underworld of her small but shady community. What ensues is a very dark and ominous journey.

This film feels real, and I think that's what it has going for it more than anything. Because the fact that it feels real is pretty disturbing. That strength lies in the harsh and ugly setting, the fascinating characters (which is all of them), and it's portrayal of both. There is almost never a sunny day in this film, as it is late winter. The scenes where Ree is walking down the road looks almost post apocalyptic; like a wasteland. The people inhabiting this wasteland do it justice I suppose. Like The Fighter, Winter's Bone does not have a particular villain. Everyone is a potential villain it seems like. Potential though reluctant. No matter what dangerous game they are a part of, all involved are still ordinary people who want to stay out of trouble as much as possible. This makes it complicated when a tenacious young girl goes willingly looking for it. Someone could get hurt. Maybe someone already has.

It was that mentality that struck me more than anything else. Ree does not have too much trouble hunting down leads, nor difficulty extracting info from them, because they either already know her or talk to her out of respect to her kin. But of course, whether they speak to her or not, no one is really willing to give her any of the gory details she's looking for. We get the feeling that everyone, involved deeply or not at all, is trying not to make any waves. This is apparent in characters such as Merab (Dale Dickie), one of three sisters who are related to and serve under local crime lord Thump Milton. Merab is at first cautious of young but fierce Ree, then she is frightfully warning her (as if for both of their safeties), then is outright threatening her. Yet there is always a sort of respect between them both, a respect Ree will will disregard to get what she wants. It's hard to describe this mentality. There is togetherness, very apparent community among many. But at the same time, all of these people feel like they are constantly on their toes. It's like they are cooly complacent whilst living in fear. It's one of those things that's better seen to be understood, if that makes any sense.

Another big strength is in that underlying mystery. As any of my readers will know, I am in love with mystery and the quest for understanding. This movie has an Apocalypse Now aspect where the hero(heroine) is looking for someone who may very well be six feet under. There's some suspense right there. The funny thing is, Ree doesn't care all too much about her father's well being, but is just fixated on saving the family she has with her at any cost. That kind of quality is what makes her character so damn fascinating. Just by looking at her living conditions (home or town), you can tell she has had a hard life. She's clearly made sacrifices; I mean, most of the seventeen year old girls I know would probably not be up to raising their family alone. One of the few moments she takes time to hang out with an old friend makes it seem like they haven't done it in ages, literally. She teaches her child siblings how to use guns, hunt for food, take care of the house, what kind of manners to have, as if she could die at any moment and they will be left alone. Not a bad idea. It's responsible and brave, but also tragic. It is put on her shoulders to deal with problems that far above her age range, but she does it because she is a survivor more than anything. With a fierce and undaunting resolve, deeply engraved sense of love and duty, and poignant acting ability from Lawrence, Ree Dolly is an awesome female hero. A badass, as a matter of fact. There is a moment where she is asked to decide her own fate and, after quickly sizing up her seemingly hopeless situation, she shrugs and bluntly answers with the only option that seems to be on the table: "kill me, I guess."

The other character in this story who contains a true hidden depth yet very apparent darkness is Ree's uncle, her father's brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes). Teardrop is in some way involved in this rural underworld, and is one of the first people to quickly refuse Ree any help. For the rest of the film (or at least until he can't resist his familial obligations), he exists as a threatening, dark presence that strikes fear into most of the town's population of scum bags and a certain respect is shown to him by the big cheese involved. He's also more evidence that dog-eat-dog fatalism runs in the Dolly family's blood. John Hawkes is an actor who has had small or supporting roles in many movies for the past 30 years. His intense, frightening, and ultimately poetic portrayal of Teardrop is a bit of a revelation, seeing as how I've usually seen him play kind of weasally lowlifes or eccentric motormouth types of characters (kinda like, Steve Buscemi, who is also capable of going deeper). Hawkes received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor against Christian Bale (The Fighter, and winner) and Geoffery Rush (The King's Speech) if that tells you anything.

Other good characters include the enigmatic Merab, played very convincingly by Dale Dickie. The last thing I saw her in was Breaking Bad in which she was a very grimy and pathetic crackwhore, thief, and passive killer. She isn't easy on the eyes, but she owns her roles like a true actress. Sheryl Lee stars as a former flame of Ree's father, though you may not recognize her (as me and my David Lynch fan father did not). She exudes a lot of the same tired and world weariness the other townspeople give off, but her scene is good. Garrett Dillahunt (a character actor who played Tommy Lee Jones' deputy in No Country for Old Men) stars as the Sheriff of the town, who is not as law abiding or enforcing as he seems. He plays this role with a sort of menace mixed with insecurity.

Winter's Bone is a very subtle movie. It is not full of glossy special effects. It has no big real huge moments or messages taht beg for awards and good reviews. It is simply trying to convey an atmosphere, and a story and characters that fit right into it. That it does well. It wasn't well advertised, so I'm sure there a few reading who may have not heard of it. Nevertheless, it has impressed me along with a great many other movies to have come out in 2010. It is dark, bittersweet, interesting, and edgy beyond belief. It's a crime mystery as well as a compelling drama. It also has one of the best scenes involving a chainsaw since Smokin' Aces, maybe even Scarface (no, never mind, not that bad). Still, without giving too much away, it is pretty hardcore. It featured wonderfully shown characters, and performances by actors I had no idea had such power within them. The director is Debra Granik, who captures the film's setting, the characters, all of the little details with such an insightful eye. She also co-wrote the film with writer Anne Rossellini, and the writing is wonderful. The dialogue all feels real, it seemed like real people would talk to each other like this. One thing I had a little trouble with was a scene involving a military recruiter. I think most recruiters, especially these days, don't care about the well-being of the potential recruit; the recruiter in this film seemed a little too helpful in making sure the character second guesses themselves and think real hard about joining the military (possibly because his character was from around the same area). It was nice, but I don't think it would really go down that way. Maybe I'm too jaded. Anyways, this movie was awesome and see it if this review was convincing enough.

Sorry if I meandered, I was more interested in specific things about the movie rather than the overall structure. Tried to fit everything in, as always.

This has been a review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.