"Winter's Bone", directed by Debra Granik, is grim, grey and woven of poverty's hard grist. It is also meticulously well made and resonantly powerful in its quiet texture.
Set in present time in the Ozarks (which looks to be a dreary world indeed, lacking, for instance, social services of any sort), "Winter's Bone" is accurately named for the ubiquitous bone-chilling cold that abounds literally and figuratively. Music is used in a refreshingly minimal manner, so that the crunch of frozen leaves underfoot, the sizzle of lard in a pan, the wind in bare-branched trees are audible. No musical guidance, just the sounds of life.
Every nuance of production, from set design to cinematography, is seamless and consistent. Casting and performances are impeccable throughout. Jennifer Lawrence is deeply impressive as Ree, a teenager whose mother is unhinged, father is missing, and possibilities are bleak. She cares for her young siblings, her mother, and her animal family members with a maternal wisdom far beyond her years. She lives in a world of babies and guns, hunger and cold, with intelligence and weary grace.
John Hawkes as her wild-eyed uncle brings an edgy complexity to his role. He's not any kind of hero, but he will have to do for Ree.
Violence is a potential, an underlying tone, more than a predictable plot device. No time is wasted on sentiment, nor energy spent on fairy tales. Moments of tenderness are hushed and unheralded. The best that can happen is preventing the worst from occurring. And as "Winter's Bone" so skillfully depicts, sometimes that's plenty.
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