Winter’s Bone
Sarah 33, Death Race 23; 15 of 24 categories completed
I spent part of the day on Tuesday watching screeners for Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. It’s the sort of show that makes me irremediably irritated almost immediately: tired characters we’ve already seen a dozen procedurals (the brilliant but depressive team leader with no life outside of work, the loose cannon who’s used up all his chances with the higher-ups); dialogue that assumes neither the viewers nor the characters themselves know anything about the field in which the characters work, therefore requiring exposition to explain the most elementary aspects of profiling or detective work; unnecessarily rococo plot twists and pathologies designed to drown out the tin ear of the writing; and more-ham-than-Easter-week-at-Costco acting cranked under the broiler in a vain attempt to register. It’s a pandering, patronizing mess.
All that by way of saying that I think I loved Winter’s Bone primarily for what it does not do, because it does not do any of that. It doesn’t try to manipulate the audience or assume that we’re stupid. The violence is baroque, but it’s not cynical; it’s appropriate to the story, and it’s what you don’t quite see that’s affecting. The characters don’t speak to one another as though, say, an unseen audience needs an update and fast before they decide to change the channel — I believed that this is how these people talk, to each other, about each other, and we get only the information we need, no more (sometimes not even that much).
The setting is a character; attention has been paid to the quality of the light, the way people dress, how to translate a steady 42-degree chill to the screen, the rings of dirt under fingernails and the slept-on shape of hair. Sometimes a story takes place in a world, and sometimes that world is that story, as it is here. It feels like a documentary at times. It has texture. I would only change one tiny thing, and that’s the repeated shots of abandoned rocking horses and toys outside of trailers and busted shacks. The kids on the trampoline, and Ashlee bringing her toys inside, does that work for us.
I wish it had better chances at the Oscars — it’s my favorite of the Best Picture nominees, I think — but it doesn’t seem like it does. It might get something, maybe Adapted Screenplay, but I wouldn’t count on it. That scene between Teardrop and the sheriff is amazing for both actors, very tense, packs in a lot of backstory between them without seeming to do it — that scene sort of symbolizes the thoughtful care the movie takes with its story, without overworking it, and I wish that could reap some reward, because it’s rare. But the nominations prompting more people to see it is probably the biggest win for it. Great movie.
Tags: dear sir or madam your writing is ass movies Oscars 2011 Death Race TV Winter's Bone
I have not seen this movie yet but I recently read the book and it was great!
And as a side note, the actress who played Ree is from my hometown!
Absolutely loved this movie. It’s probably the best picture of the year, which means it doesn’t have a shot in hell at Best Picture, but such is life.
More than anything, I loved this movie’s sense of place — the Ozarks are a character in this, and probably the most important character. And the movie doesn’t try to do too much. You know there’s not going to be a Hollywood ending here, and (without spoiling anything) the ending is very true to itself and the world. It’s so grim it’s practically life-affirming, if that makes any sense.
On a side note, I see that Jennifer Lawrence is going to be in the X-Men prequel this year. Sigh. Well, I hope she uses the money to buy a really pretty car.
Didn’t see it – want to. Want to read the book too. What did you think of the lead actress?
One of my favorites, as well. The small-scale stuff has been the most enjoyable. I have a bit of a bone to pick with the ending, which seemed a little ambiguous. I don’t usually like it when films tell more than show, but there seemed to be an awful lot of necessary background information that was left out (although I have a fairly good idea). Because this film’s other great strength, besides the performance of Jennifer Lawrence, is its production design (I was amazed that it wasn’t nominated for that), which truly creates a sense of location and, especially, culture, the viewer is likely to be an outsider to the apparently very insular community of backwoods meth cookers, just a bit more explanation as to why things were the way they were, and more importantly, why things ended up the way they did, would have been helpful.
Back to the plusses, though, and I really can’t say enough about Jennifer Lawrence’s performance, one of the year’s two best, along with Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. For an actress who cut her teeth on a TBS sitcom (and really, for any actress), it’s impressive. It’s steadfast, understated, and honest. Nothing about it reeks of Oscar bait. The production design, I suppose, wasn’t nominated because it was shot on location, so kudos to the location scout, then, because the world that Ree and her family live in feels the way it should–lived in to (and beyond) the point of breaking down.
The supporting casting is good, too, including John Hawkes. I don’t know if his was quite an Oscar-worthy performance, but it certainly lent itself to furthering not only the story but the landscape. It all adds up to a pretty depressing atmosphere, but it’s one where people nevertheless go one with the business of living their lives, however wretched. Winter’s Bone simply lays that out to see, and not (thankfully) as a cautionary example, but as simply to establish how things are in these characters’ world, and it’s one of the year’s best.
oh, oh, oh, I loved this movie — J Lawrence (who doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of winning Best Actress) was astounding –the scene in the boat? where she goes from disbelief to resolve to horror to a state of shock? yikes
Teardrop? oh my word
the beating Ree receives? is it possible that there are Standards and Practices to beatings??!
and wait, was that Sheryl Lee? nahhh. . .no, wait, it was!
I was so impressed with the story-telling in this film, the fact that you had to pay attention and put things together and oh, when you did, it just broke your heart for Ree and her siblings and her mother. . .
so, so many tiny, telling details that were just so right
I’m really glad you liked this; it’s one of my favorites of the year as well. You mentioned in your review of “Outside the Law” about lived-in faces; one of the reasons this movie works so well is how everyone in it, even the two “actors” of the cast – Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes – has that lived-in look, rather than the Hollywood look. I know a lot of people are upset about Christopher Nolan being snubbed for Best Director, and I understand that – I liked “Inception” a lot – but I was more disappointed Debra Granik didn’t get nominated for her direction here (at least she got nominated along with her co-writer for Best Adapted Screenplay – it’s also a terrific adaptation as well as a great movie in its own right), as she’s primarily responsible for giving it that lived-in look, and never forcing any of the situations. Then, of course, there’s the two main performances. Nothing I’ve seen Hawkes in (admittedly, I’ve never seen “Deadwood”) prepared me for his work here, and while I don’t know if Lawrence will have a big career as an actress, she certainly has the talent.
Here’s my description of Winter’s Bone:
[Backwoods trailer park where screenwriters condescendingly think all poor people live. Moody hillbilly music plays.]
Girl: “You seen my Daddy?”
Every other toothless denizen of the town: “Girl, you best not be stickin’ your nose where it don’t belong…but I reckon you can set a spell.”
[and scene]
Oh, I loved this movie to the stars. Jennifer Lawrence broke my heart over and over. That scene where she begs her mother for advice, “just this one time”? Oh goodness. What a year for young actresses, between her and Hailee Steinfeld.
I’m so glad you mentioned that scene with Teardrop and the Sheriff. Seeing John Hawkes and Garret Dillahunt on screen together made me weep for the cancellation of Deadwood yet again (I’ll never be over that.) This was great stuff.
By far my favorite movie of the year. I think Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is just stunning — perfect in every way. Really though, there wasn’t a single off-performance, and I totally agree that the setting was its own character. So good I saw it twice in the theater, and was thrilled to see it get the nominations (if not likely the oscars) it deserves.
That’s a bit unfair Josh. The movie was filmed where it was set, so yes it does look exactly like that. The man who wrote the book it was based on grew up in that environment so one would think he knows what he’s talking about. And your clever little summary is way off base.
Loved the movie and would love to talk to others about the book’s ending. The novel also had a more fantastic, complex love between Ree and her best friend. Hollywood could also learn something about the casual intensity of how drugs effected the families.
I loved it – if I were deciding things, it would take Best Picture and Lawrence would take Best Actress (ain’t no way she will; the statue is Portman’s, and I think The King’s Speech is going to take Best Picture). Agree that the setting is as much a character as the characters – not just the scenery, but the setting. The world these folks inhabit, where Ree’s dad cooks meth and that’s just what he does, what he’s known for (“he’s known for knowin’ what he’s doin'”), the code of silence by which they live – and the cluelessness of Ree’s younger siblings. All very moving.
Plus, that scene where Ree is skinning squirrels and digging out their guts? Lord have mercy.
I haven’t read the book – does it explain what, exactly, is wrong with Ree’s mother? Has she had a breakdown? Does she have some sort of mental illness?
Oh, Allison, that “just this one time” was heartbreaking — you saw how very young and vulnerable Ree actually was, despite all the responsibilities she’s had to take on. . .
I had the pleasure of seeing this movie 8 months ago at a film festival; long before the deserved praise and Oscar noms were thrown its way.
I found it to be so powerful. And it stayed with me for weeks. In a perfect world it would win for Adapted Screenplay at least.
By far my Best Picture. Will be fine if King’s Speech wins, but I definitely put this at top.
@Josh: Jeanne is right. In fact, much of it was filmed at the home/land of the little girl Ashlee (whose name is Ashlee in real life) and many of the actors are from the area. For example, the old dude whose name I’m totally blanking on–Ree gets beaten in his barn–took a big role (that is shown in the extra features) in shaping that scene and making it realistic to the world he knows. So.
Ditto to Allison on this movie making me cry dirty, dirty Deadwood tears. Oh for the seasons that never were. (Also enjoyed it on its own merits.)
I was waiting to see what your take of it was. I first saw the movie back in March, during its limited release run. I found it to be greatly bleak, but somehow it won you over and made you care about the characters, to the point where I had to remind myself “wait, it’s just a movie, not a documentary”. It’s somewhat rare that a movie achieves complete suspension of disbelief like that.
I don’t know if it’s my favourite film amongst the 10 nominees, but Jennifer Lawrence would definitely win Best Actress if I had a say in it. Dearly as I love John Hawkes (and relished the “Deadwood” reunion between him and Garrett Dillahunt) I’m not sure I’d give him the statue either, but I’m super-pleased that he was nominated.
Sadly, Aaron Sorkin is going to win Best Adapted Screenplay. This is turning out to be one of those Oscar seasons with several safe bets, and Sorkin’s win is one of them, I think.
Drew:the viewer is likely to be an outsider to the apparently very insular community of backwoods meth cookers, just a bit more explanation as to why things were the way they were, and more importantly, why things ended up the way they did, would have been helpful.
People keep claiming this movie was confusing, but I’m not sure why. Personally I come from the UK so I’m very much an outsider, but it all seemed pretty straightforward to me. Can anyone tell me what is supposed to be so confusing?
Not my 2010 favorite (probably Another Year; the only English-language one I haven’t seen that could factor in is The Ghost Writer), or even my favorite Best Picture nominee, but certainly special and recommendable. Yes, for the attention to detail. Yes, for Jennifer Lawrence’s performance. But also for the way it establishes a plausible, bleak real-world community as a place with its own rules, mysteries, and mythic figures (“That man scares me more than any of the others”). We have the sense that it is surrounded by a larger world, but this larger world touches it so lightly (as in the scene with the Army recruiter) that really, we might as well be in Narnia. It gets a milieu and tone in place very quickly and then it never wobbles. Also, the codes of behavior, the sense that certain things *must* happen in turn (Teardrop’s “I know who it was,” and what he is going off to do, and what will then happen to him), put me in mind less of every crime/underworld movie I’ve ever seen than of ancient tragedy (Sophocles, Euripides, et al). It left me in an odd place. I don’t know if I would want to see this again, at least any time soon, but it is an achievement.
I loved this film so much, for all of the reasons already listed by everybody else. Glad to hear that I wasn’t the only one!
John Hawkes could play a pretty pretty princess caught in a life-or-death struggle over a pink lipstick and MAKE YOU BELIEVE in love again. He’s a good actor, in other words.