Dear Cinephiles, I am late on reviewing the following film. Winter's Bone is a fascinating watch. I viewed it at the Westside Pavillion on a oscar clad return. Lucky to catch such a hidden gem at the cinema. Director Debra Granik digs deep into the Ozarks of Missouri to reveal a portrait of country folks that have never been truly tackled. The setting is cold, isolated, and visceral. The buildings are wooden structures, shacks, burned out buildings, and thick mountain pines. A trampoline becomes a primary image of Jennifer Lawrence's household. 20 year old Lawrence throws herself fearlessly into a truly difficult role.
She at 17 has to hunt down her meth addicted father, whom is avoiding the authorities. When I first heard the plotline it sounded predictable and a total downer. However in caring for her two younger sibling's and mute mother I saw something amazing. A girl who gets into many dangerous situations to uncover the truth of her father's whereabouts.
The scenes that stick with me the most are the characters she has to deal with on this search. Granik brings completely fresh country faces and manages to scare the living hell out of the viewer! The movie for me was mainly intriguing because it shows a young girl going into arenas that are highly intense. Like a Grimm Fairy Tale the tension keeps building the further Lawrence searches. The movie is not an easy film to digest and has shocking images, but if you are up for it the film takes you into a country world I have never seen cinematically before.
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