Year: 2010
Director: Debra Granik
Writer: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini (screenplay), Daniel Woodrell (novel)
Type of Indie Film: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Out of 5 Stars (Bad, OK, Good, Great, Awesome): 4 ½
Family is a big deal to most people, but in tight-knit communities it’s everything. When you have to choose between breaking your clan’s rules and caring for siblings, what do you do? Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes shine in “Winter’s Bone”, an indie drama about family and blood.
Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) knows that there is a certain code that the people of the Ozark Mountains abide by, especially in her family. Full of meth-addicts and dealers, the Dolly clan is known and feared. Taking care of her mentally-ill mother, her younger brother Sonny and her younger sister Ashlee, Ree is forced to mature faster than she should have to at 17.
Although her family was a burden, Ree had her father, Jessup, to count on to help… when he wasn’t in jail for cooking meth, that is. After his most recent arrest, Jessup disappears. Ree doesn’t realize the severity of this until the bondsman comes to tell Ree that her father put the house and their property up against the bond. If he doesn’t show up to his court date, then the state will take everything.
Desperate to find her father, Ree goes up against her clan. The more doors she knocks on the more she realizes that her family is hiding something. That secret could destroy her, but she has to save her family.
Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes have both been nominated for an Oscar for this film: Lawrence for Best Actress and Hawkes for Best Supporting Actor.
This film is raw, gritty and real. There is violence and drug use, so it’s recommended for mature audiences. Although it’s classified as a drama, it’s also a character study. There is action and suspense, but “Winter’s Bone” addresses the hard life of some people in the Ozark Mountains. This isn’t something that you can sit and eat popcorn to; it’s as intellectual as it is emotional. After winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this film has been nominated for 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
You can find “Winter’s Bone” at any of Tulsa’s local Blockbusters and Family Video stores.
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