It's not unusual these days for a movie to be released as limited and without much fanfare because, like a political campaign, it's all about advertising dollars, and the bigger the fan, the higher the fare.
"Winter's Bone" typifies films that tumble into this category. Not a summer blockbuster. No multi-million dollar chase scenes. No international or intergalactic disaster for an overpaid, air-brushed and botox-infused star to save us all from in the nick of time. This is a heartfelt, down to earth production that is about the sods of the earth in modern America's heartland.
Ree Dolly, as played by Jennifer Lawrence, is a 17 year old trying to survive and support her two younger siblings and a disabled mother in rural Missouri. They live off the land out of necessity. Fried potato dinners are the norm, broken up by the occasional treat of squirrel or deer, when in season. And though times are tough for these four, we feel a level of peace and happiness within their humble home. There's food on the table and a roof over their heads. Things could be worse.
And that's exactly where things head right after we're introduced to the key characters in this keenly executed drama based on Daniel Woodrell's book. Thanks to an inhumane turn of events caused by the court system and the twisted social mores of the members of the primarily meth-cooking local economy, Ree and her adopted brood are in danger of losing their dilapidated home. As the only functioning person old enough to do anything about it, she takes the helm to save the one thing they have left - that roof over their heads. This well-directed, photographed and acted story of her battle, boasting a screenplay by Director Debra Granik and Anna Rossellini, is a realistic, albeit disturbing look at an often unnoticed segment of our population: Anglo-American communities that don't have a pot to piss in, therefore manufacturing illegal drugs works out fine. Just like their Daddy and Granddaddy and his Daddy before him cranked out moonshine --- these folks crank out crank. That culture is the physical spine of this movie. And it is played out amidst barnyards overflowing with rusted carcasses of cars gone by while hound dogs yelp in the distance, in living rooms filled to the brim with people of all ages on guitars, banjos and fiddles just a pickin and a grinnin after Sunday night dinner, and in honky-tonk taverns where everybody knows your name because in these joints half your bar mates are kin. Michael McDonough's cinematography captures all of this beautifully with some very interesting hand held work that at times give us a reality show feel - in a good way. And in this process our screenwriters treat us to some sly, biting jabs at our countries drug policies and the ongoing mess it helped create.
By default, Ree Dolly is the core of this family, and family is the emotional core of this film. Not just the family she is trying to save, but all of the small clans in this back roads community. In that role, Jennifer Lawrence does an outstanding job of carrying us through this story. We feel her pain. We sense the gears turning in her young head as she tries to make sense of and correct the nightmare that has befallen her family. Suggesting that reality is usually pretty boring, someone once said that God doesn't write very exciting scripts. The actors in this movie have taken a very realistic script, one in which everything that is said or happens is not only plausible, but unfortunately common place in the real world, and heightened that reality just enough to make it work. In addition to Lawrence, John Hawkes as Sweet Pea and Dale Dickey as Merab stand out among this great cast, but everybody pitches in on this one, right on down to the bit players and extras, who don't appear to be out of Central Casting. Bar patrons, musicians and hangers on look as if they got hired right at locations shoot, and that's the final ingredient that makes this film a cut above the rest, its bare-bones authenticity adding to the drama.
Winter's Bone will more than likely be banished in the near future to the land of DVD's for purchase and rental consumption. This is such a well-realized chunk of reality that it is certainly worth seeing regardless of the venue. It's refreshing, an usual adjective considering the grim subject matter, to see a movie that, without a huge budget or instantly recognizable actors, sets out to do something and does it so well. But, like a cold winter's breeze, it is.
Hello Charlie, we have to do a movie review show together. I love the fact that you take a position even with a movie that some would consider a sleeper. Those movies are usually the best! Keep up the good work!
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