Winter's Bone Film Review

Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik is a dramatic film which garnered four Academy Award nominations including the coveted "Best Picture" prize, as well as "Best Adapted Screenplay." In addition, it garnered two acting nominations for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" for Jennifer Lawrence's spellbinding performance of a bold, precocious seventeen year old girl Ree, and John Hawkes earned a well-deserved "Best Supporting Actor" nomination for his portrayal of her estranged uncle, "Teardrop."

In this film, Ree's father disappears and she is left to take care of her family, which consists of two younger siblings, ages twelve and six, as well as her ill mother; moreover, the local Sheriff is looking for her father since he is out on bail and did not appear in his scheduled court date.

The conflict in the motion picture involves Ree's father, who was involved in the town's crystal meth trade, and used their house in an effort to pay for his bail; the Sheriff informs Ree that if her father does not show up, she may lose the house, which may result in her siblings getting adopted by her white-trash neighbors, thus sinking her family into deeper poverty and depression. Ree embarks on a mission to find her father, whether he is dead or alive, in an effort to save her house and family.

Winter's Bone was one of the best movies released this past year. From start to finish, it is pure Oscar bait filled with much suspense and mystery. It will have audiences at the edge of their seats rooting for Ree as their brave heroine as she embarks on this odyssey to locate her father and preserve her sanity. Lawrence does a solid job carrying the whole film on her shoulders, and John Hawkes is a true triumph; he truly gives a scene-stealing performance, which makes the film even more captivating.

Although Jennifer Lawrence may have walked away empty handed in the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, losing the "Best Actress" Oscar prize to Natalie Portman for her leading performance in "Black Swan," hopefully, it is a harbinger of bigger and better acting roles to come in Lawrence's future!

Film Rating: A