Winter's Bone

Ah, the days have been up and down with today seeming to be more on the side of the latter.  While I am not deep within the hold of anxiety or negative emotions today, it would seem more like I am constantly teetering, and I don't know if that is worse or not.  It seems to be rather emotionally draining to be on constant edge of a breakdown, and it was not too long into the day that I declared this day as a write-off, and I waived my obligations to anything productive or motivating.  I almost was not going to blog, but then forced myself into it.

The movie that I am talking about today is a very atmospherically drab film called Winter's Bone, and it stars Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly, a seventeen year old girl who is looking after her younger brother and sister, as well as her mentally ill mother.  Her father, a meth cooker who has not been around very often has put the family house and property up as part of his bond.  Ree is informed by the police that if he does not show up for his court date, they will lose the house.

The conditions that the Dolly family live in are extreme poverty, constantly unsure of where the next meal is going to come from.  The loss of the house would essentially put the family homeless in the woods of Missouri.  Ree then realizes that she herself must track down her father and ensure that he shows up to court.  In the process, we see her travelling on foot first to her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes) and then heading further and further to more and more unsavoury people.

In each of the places she goes, she always seems to be greeted by the women of the homes, who seem to act as emissaries for the men.  The movie really shows this lifestyle as one that is run by violent and dangerous men, and the women know to stay out of their business and what their role is.  Now, this is not me and my personal view that a woman should 'know her role,' but a definite theme of the environment which is crucial to the tale.  The reason why is it so important is because we are following a lone, unprotected, teenage girl who is willing to go to any and all lengths in this male-dominated subculture to ensure a future for her family.

I had mentioned that it is a drab movie, and that comes from it always being shot on overcast days.  It is in the fall, so there are no leaves on the trees, making the entire world around Ree seem cold, harsh, and hopeless.  The physical environment sets a good backdrop for the plight of the protagonist, and we get some good visuals of her plodding through it all, with each step getting further and further from home, and with each step getting closer and closer to more dangerous men.

It is not an uplifting story by any means, but it is a touching one.  The performances of Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes are amazing (both of them got rightly nominated for Oscars), and the locations that surround them are so well done that it makes their universe real to the viewer.  I do complain that there are not enough movies about strong female leads, and Winter's Bone takes a very different look at the concept, and one that is not done in the typical, flashy Hollywood style.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars