Winter's Bone

2010, 15, Directed by Debra Granik

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt

Winter’s Bone, like its title might suggest, is a bleak, cruel and unhurried adaptation of Daniel Woodrel’s novel, which sees newcomer Jennifer Lawrence’s Ree Dolly searching for her wayward father in the frozen backdrop of Arkansas. Although extremely slow in pace, this is the point; lines are delivered tediously and monotonously to reflect the surroundings, and not for one second do you doubt Lawrence’s truly great, naturalistic performance. Never doubting her desperation to avoid the imminent danger that beckons, this causes for truly tense encounters. Another highlight is the casting of Deadwood’s John Hawkes as Teardrop, Ree’s unpredictable uncle. The beauty of Hawke's performance is in the way the audience can fear him and rely on him from one scene to the next. Once you’ve glimpsed the landscape where the town folk live by their own rules as opposed to the ‘law’s’, it becomes astoundingly easy to translate this into reality. If you fetch Winter’s Bone, you will be rewarded.

4.5/5

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