Winter's Bone (2010)
Winter's Bone
★★★★☆
Directed by: Debra Granik
Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Based on the Novel by: Daniel Woodrell
Debra Granik's dingy film about a determined girl living in the Ozarks, trying to do whatever it takes to keep her family's house when her father skips his bond and misses a court date, is best summarized with the word "deliberate." That shouldn't be read as meaning Winter's Bone is dull or plodding, only that it moves along at a measured pace, intentionally, drawing out sequences of main character Ree (played with a striking cool-on-the-outside/inferno-on-the-inside conviction by Jennifer Lawrence) caring for her siblings, walking around, staring reflectively into the distance. Ree is wise beyond her 17 years but that doesn't mean she has all the answers and while her family and their associates are dangerous, violent people who are anything but forthcoming with information about Ree's dad, she toes the line between desperation and thoughtful prudence.
There are several moments when Winter's Bone could have transitioned itself into something else: It could occasionally turn very dark indeed, it could have been angry and hateful, it could have been sappy and overly sentimental. Instead, Granik sets a just-so aura of slowly crushing dismay, letting the creeping sense of dread inherent in a young girl forced to ask for help from lawless amphetamine dealers carry the atmosphere. In many ways the rich symbolism and quiet seething that happen outside of the words on the script, the volumes of dialogue that pass from character to character in glances and nervous twitches are more effective at telling the story than any of the authentic-sounding lines could be.
By the end of Winter's Bone we have a curious relationship with Ree. Some movies might go out of their way to make you want to love her, but Ree has enough love. We can't really empathize with her—her situation is far removed from anything most will have to deal with, and while we can admire her, we know she doesn't want that admiration. We settle, in the end, for acceptance of Ree's fate, just as she does, knowing that all may not be right in the world, but all that matters is. For now.