This is not a film for everybody. Not because it is hard to watch or even because it has controversial subject matter, but because it is a fairly drifting film. The film does not have a driving narrative, and some might consider it a little short on story matter. While I admit it does have 'Oscar bait' written all over it, I'm not going to dislike a film just on that basis. While I do tend to have a gag reflex when confronted with any of Kate Winslet's 'arty' output, I'm not going to hate a film if it happens to be good. Example: I baulked at Slumdog Millionaire, but watched it and felt rather ashamed of myself for being Mr. Presumptuous. Let's get to this film. Set in the haunting Missouri backwoods, the film handles the story of Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) whose father, a meth cooker, has put his family's house up as collateral for bail money. Consequently he has sprung himself from prison and disappeared, so it is up to Ree since her mother is incapacitated to find him and prevent the family from losing their home. What ensues is a fairly chilling journey through the dark heart of the American deep south, where it becomes clear that it is not always worth paying the price for the truth.
Ree and Teardrop look for a missing parent. Debra Graznik's film is harsh and unrepentant in its portrayal of the world that Ree inhabits. The world presented is rusty, decrepit and only for the hardy. The people who live in it are surly, untrustworthy locals who would shoot almost anyone who stepped on their doorsteps, let alone help anyone with their enquiries. The police have no place in Ree's world; they are not trusted. The only justice dispensed is local justice. Jennifer Lawrence puts in an astonishing performance as Ree. I don't use that term lightly either. The steel behind her eyes seems real. The girl has acted before, but appears to have just hidden in a variety of small-time indie films and TV appearances. Where did she come from? Why has she suddenly turned up in this astoundingly assured performance? Why have we never heard of her before? Looking at Ree, you see a girl who has lived a tough life, doing what she has to in a harsh world to protect her family. The fact that Ree isn't an idealistic young woman who is always the first to say 'but this is wrong!' is what makes the film work so well. Ree could be an irritating and deliberately likeable archetype, but the fact is, she is a product of her upbringing. She takes shit from no-one but knows when to show meekness. She is cautious, and only reckless when she has to be. Ree is a good female character because instead of being crowbarred into being a 'good role model', she simply is what she is, and shows no shame in it. The supporting cast is pretty good too, especially John Hawkes as her Uncle Teardrop (methinks the grandparents might have had drug-taking tendencies). It becomes abundantly clear that Ree knows the rules of her world, and in fact the plot is pivoted on her understanding and abiding by them.
Ree's rather less than impressive home, but it's still all she has.
The film is rather beautiful, and occasionally brutal. Ree takes punishment, and not from the male characters, surprisingly enough. The hierarchies are rather frightening, in a strange sort of way. It is a community that is completely self-reliant, with quiet and borderline psychotic patriarchs and women who, despite their obvious frustration, learned to get on with life. It is not pleasant, and never presented as such. Saying that the reason I like this film is because it shows that life sucks is a misnomer, however. Certainly, Winter's Bone is not exactly high fun, but there is hope somewhere. Indeed, the unlikely moral hero who slowly emerges is the marginally terrifying Teardrop, who shows a surprising depth of character beyond what we see earlier in the film. The hope is minute though. The ending, despite wrapping up the story, does have worrying implications for Ree. Her ultimate choices in the film do condemn her to the fate of the film's other women, but it is less about gender and more about community, in that Ree cannot escape where she comes from. Perhaps somewhere down the line, Ree will find something better, but I suppose that would be another story.
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