Winter’s Bone: Deep Woods, Deep Story

Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone transcends being just another “southern film” with a strong sense of place and character. The story adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s captivating novel of the same name, involves the stoic Ree Dolly (played to the “T” by Jennifer Lawrence) searching in the deep woods of the Ozark Mountains along the Arkansas-Missouri border for her missing father. Ree’s meth-cooking father puts the family’s house up for bail and the Sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) warns her if he doesn’t show for court they will lose their house. So Ree left to take care of her young brother and sister sets out to track down her father with no help from her secretive and dangerous kin. The film really does well to set up the mystery and confusion around her father’s disappearance while giving you just enough information to keep wanting more. Ree’s plan is to join the army and get a signing bonus that will help raise her siblings (her mother is out of the picture, mentally at least). Ree soon learns things are more complicated than what she first thought but she is resolute.

Winter’s Bone offers an extraordinary cast anchored on Jennifer Lawrence’s quiet, but determined characterization of Ree. John Hawkes who plays Ree’s uncle Teardrop is also a driving force in giving humanity to character’s that might otherwise seem over-the-top. An Arkansas native Lauren Sweester plays Gail, Ree’s best friend, with such conviction as a simple, kind, young mother you would never know she was an avid snowboarder in real life.

The story builds slowly but the payoff is chilling, strangely surreal and emotionally resonant creating a great balance between character and plot.The film carries a lot of cultural history rendering the depth of these “country folk” characters as three-dimensional people and not stereotypes.

Even by the end of the picture the audience is left still wondering what Ree is going to do next.

Winter’s Bone screen’s Opening Night of the Little Rock Film Festival on June 2 at 7:00 PM.