Winter's Bone

Winter’s Bone received a lot of praise and made many top ten lists of 2010. However, it seemed that not too many people saw the film and that it was quite underrated.

I found it to be overrated. Maybe since 2010 was such a poor year for film, Winter’s Bone stood out. It’s not a horrible film, but it's lacking in many ways. Based on the book of the same name there is a neo-noir twist of white trash country realism. In hindsight, the plot sounds interesting enough, but the film is too slow and the characters are too one-dimensional at times for this to truly be a great film.

The film follows 17-year old Ree on her quest in the Ozark “slums” of Missouri to find her meth-cooking dad, who has disappeared after mysteriously being bailed out of prison. The sheriff (“the law”) tells Ree she’ll lose her house (where she cares for her younger brother and sister), if her dad doesn’t appear for court. Comedy ensues.

Jennifer Lawrence gives a subtle, but decent performance, but John Hawkes' portrayal of meth-addict Teardrop is probably the best and most underrated performance of Winter’s Bone.

I rented this on Blu-ray and nothing really stood out, even with some of the more nature-type shots. Winter’s Bone was directed well, but unfortunately took its self too seriously.

6/10