Winter's Bone Review

Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik, is a very different movie. The story revolves around Ree, a girl who is raising her younger brother and sister and takes care of her sick mother as she looks for her lost father in the backwoods of the Ozark mountains. While I appreciate the film's gritty/realistic atmosphere and the theme of how women are capable of doing the same things as men, I didn't really enjoy it.

If someone was to ask me what happens in this movie, I would simply respond "This girl walks around from house to house asking where her dad is at." That's what is what I mostly remember about this movie.  I got bored and started to fall asleep after Ree asked the the 3rd house where her father was. The film just had a really slow pace and I feel like nothing really significant happens. It is definitely not a movie that I would want to watch over and over again.

All of that being said, there are some things that I really liked about the film. First off, the setting and scenery of this movie has a very realistic feeling. The poor and gritty backwoods of the Ozark mountains really makes you feel like you are there. The acting in the film is quite fantastic. Jennifer Lawrence's performance as Ree is very focused and determined as you can really get a vibe from how badly she wants to find her dad. It was interesting to see Ree as the girl who had to take charge since there aren't any guys in her life, as she says in the movie. She cooks, she takes care of the kids, and she does the yard-work/chores. This provides a interesting message on how girls can do as much as guys can and girls can do it just as good. I felt the real star of the show to me was John Hawkes performance as Teardrop who gives an engaging and realistic performance as a conflicted man who struggles with staying on the surrounding community's side or his family's side.

I really want to like this movie, I just feel that it's so boring. The plot is by the book and I thought it didn't have a very satisfying ending. Don't get me wrong, there is work of ambitious filmmaking and some very interesting themes here, it's just not my kind of movie.