Coming out of Sundance with buzz for the lead performance by Jennifer Lawrence as well as the Grand Jury, Dramatic and the Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award, “Winter’s Bone” shot up to our list of must-see films of the year. Our man in the field, Jon Davies, caught up with the picture at IFFBoston and noted that with the right push, the film is an “inevitable dark horse indie choice for the year-end award season.” A couple more writers at The Playlist have caught up with it since and are nearly over the moon for it. And with the film beginning a limited rollout this weekend, we thought we’d briefly revisit the picture with a few more thoughts. In short, we think it’s one of the best films of the year so far and it’s one you need to see.
While it is the quintessential Sundance film — dreary, depressing, puts its character in horrible circumstances — that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy or still a very tremendous piece of work and a excellent display of acting. While Jennifer Lawrence was promising as the young lead in “The Burning Plain” in this film she owns every moment of the screen. John Hawkes is riveting in every moment and Director Deborah Granik’s assured and thoughtful lens announces the arrival of a filmmaker to watch.
To recap, the film’s simple premise follows seventeen-year-old Ree, a teenager living in the Ozarks caring for her younger siblings and mother who is suffering from an undisclosed ailment. A sheriff shows up at her door and tells her that her father has jumped bail and if he doesn’t come in or isn’t found, the family home, which was used as bond, will be repossessed. Determined to prevent her family from being put out, Ree begins a dangerous journey to find her father, but it will not be so simple.
The dirty, open secret that the community she lives in shares is that much of its economy now relies largely on meth labs. Hiding in basements or sitting in seemingly occupied trailers, Ree’s father was generally considered the best cook out there, and as she begins to dig deeper into the events surrounding his disappearance the people whose lives depend on this cottage industry begin to flex their muscle. Ree must navigate a gallery of shifty characters whose motivations are kept secret to her, but none is more prominent than her uncle Teardrop (a fierce and amazing John Hawkes). A man who seems ravaged by what he’s seen, even he is reluctant to help find his brother, and early on gives Ree a menacing warning to keep her nose out of it and let the chips fall where they may. But as she pushes on, he is compelled to help even at the potential cost of his own life.
Director Deborah Granik has crafted one of the most tonally assured films we’ve seen in a while. These Ozark dwellers are not hillbillies or hicks. Their lives are ruled by a complex web of family and professional obligations that continually blur and crisscross each other, both binding them, for better or worse, to their fates. That Granik crafts characters that are not caricatures is refreshing, and her almost nonchalant handling of the meth business is astonishing. There are no junkies lurking about or big bad dealers in pimped out rides. They command fear and respect precisely because they run in the same rural circles, come from the same land and thus can manipulate the locals to do their bidding. And at the end of the day, it’s simply another ugly reality in lives that have already been blunted by tragedy and loss. Granik navigates this web of motivations, familial loyalty and discord with ease.
And of course, there are the performances. Jennifer Lawrence has a breakout role playing Ree, a role which pretty much has her on screen for every scene of the film. This is the type of work that is usually labeled “fearless,” and well, it is. Lawrence projects Ree’s tough as nails exterior but also finds the roiling vulnerability underneath, aided by a couple of key understated scenes that remind us she’s stuck in a situation that is just beyond her years of experience. Hawkes shines as Teardrop, a man who plays his cards close to the chest as much to protect himself as to shield Ree.
“Winter’s Bone” should be a refreshing dose of awards season filmmaking in the midst of a dreary and particularly lackluster summer blockbuster season. If it’s playing near you, we encourage you to seek it out. Collective Playlist grade: [A-]
