Winter's Bone (2010)

27 March 2015

Starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes.
Directed by Debra Granik.

Okay, so after being super impressed with J-Law in "Silver Linings Playbook", Jacob and I decided on "Winter's Bone."

 

"Is this gonna be our time?"

I go with a picture of Teardrop. Ree is the heart of "Winter's Bone", but Teardrop is the soul.

"Winter's Bone" is perfectly cast. Jennifer Lawrence is superb as the heroine, Ree Dolly. We are talking Meryl Streep-level brilliance here. Jennifer more than deserved her Oscar nomination. Also brilliant is John Hawkes as Teardrop Dolly. John appears totally immersed in the character. His Oscar nomination was also more than deserved. I like that many of the rest of the cast are unknowns who pretty much inhabit their characters. And last, it was a stroke of genius having Jennifer interact with an unscripted real-life Army recruiter.

I am just blown away by how well written "Winter's Bone" is. The introduction of the Dee character at the beginning of the film is devastating and super efficient storytelling. I liked how the story didn't sweep along too fast. Like "Ulee's Gold", "Winter's Bone" slows down here and there for quieter moments to show Dolly family homelife. One thing that really impressed me is that characterization wasn't left behind by the plot. I was learning about Ree right up to the end of the movie. And I don't think that the Teardrop character really got going until halfway through. All of the characters were given love with interesting things to say and do.

Alongside the acting and the writing is the production of "Winter's Bone". Everything from the clothes Jennifer wore to the location shooting makes the film completely authentic.

Friends, I can't say enough about "Winter's Bone", one of the very best movies I've seen that has come out in the last ten years.

Highly recommended.