Winter's Bone (2010)

An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.

Director:

Debra Granik

Writers:

Debra Granik (screenplay), Anne Rosellini (screenplay)

Stars:

Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 63 wins & 120 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Ree
Isaiah Stone	...	Sonny
Ashlee Thompson	...	Ashlee
Valerie Richards	...	Connie
Shelley Waggener	...	Sonya
Garret Dillahunt	...	Sheriff Baskin
William White	...	Blond Milton
Ramona Blair	...	Parenting Teacher
Lauren Sweetser	...	Gail
Andrew Burnley	...	Baby Ned
Phillip Burnley	...	Baby Ned
Isaac Skidmore	...	Baby Ned
Cody Brown	...	Floyd
Cinnamon Schultz	...	Victoria
John Hawkes	...	Teardrop

Storyline

Her family home in danger of being repossessed after her dad skips bail and disappears, Ozark teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) breaks the local code of conduct by confronting her kin about their conspiracy of silence. Should she fail to track her father down, Ree Dolly, her younger siblings, and their disabled mother will soon be rendered homeless.

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Plot Keywords:

ozark mountains | female protagonist | family relationships | search for father | bail | 

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Taglines:

Everyone's got a secret

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some drug material, language and violent content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Winter's Bone

Filming Locations:

Branson, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,887, 13 June 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$6,531,503, 21 April 2011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,831,503, 21 April 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anonymous Content, Winter's Bone Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Thump Milton, played by Ron 'Stray Dog' Hall wears a jacket with a badge at the top saying stray dog.

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Goofs

When Gail comes over to Ree's house, they are both standing at the kitchen counter with baby Ned on the counter in his car seat. Ree is eating something out of a cast iron skillet with a fork, Gail pulls out the keys to the truck while Ree is eating with the fork and then throws the keys down onto the counter, but now the fork is in the skillet and no longer on Ree's hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ree: [waking her] Ashlee Dawn...
Ashlee: Hmmm?
[to her brother]
Ashlee: Wake up...

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2010)

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Soundtracks

On a Hill Lone and Grey
(1884)
Written by Beverly Francis Caradine
Performed by Van Colbert with Bo Brown, Jessica Collins, Dennis Crider and Linda Stoffel

User Reviews

Bread and Butter

Greetings again from the darkness. A double award winner at the Sundance Film Festival, this film is based on Daniel Woodrell's novel and is directed by Debra Granik. It's opening sequence slaps the viewer with the bleak unforgivingness of life in the backwoods of the Ozarks. This is land of people that time has passed by.

The basic premise of the story is that 17 year old Ree Dolly (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is responsible for raising her brother and sister and caring for her mentally-blank mother while maintaining a mostly positive outlook on the present and future. Reality strikes again when the local sheriff arrives to inform her that her missing, meth-lab running father has an upcoming court date. He used their land and house as collateral for his latest bond. If he fails to show, they will lose their home. Instead of breaking down, Ree pledges to find him and starts out on a hazardous journey, unlike we have seen on screen.

This community of mountain people are distrusting of outsiders, but stunningly, are just as paranoid around insiders and even family members. Their way of life seems to depend on pure independence, even though they all seemed intertwined in the same illegal activities and daily quest for survival. Some kind of odd code exists - ask nothing, give nothing and get rid of any obstacles.

The driving forces of the story are Ree and her constant hope and courage, and her bond to her dad's only brother, Teardrop played chillingly by John Hawkes. Teardrop tries to toughen up Ree and get her to accept her plight, while Ree constantly shows his there is reason to plow forward.

The film is very well written and the local filming brings a harsh reality that was crucial to the film's success. Additionally, I was stunned at the fierceness displayed by Jennifer Lawrence as Ree. Her performance reminded me of my first exposure to the talents of Meryl Streep (The Deer Hunter) and Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen). Talk about powerful and exciting ... what she did with this role vaults her immediately into a very small group of actresses who can carry a movie with their presence. I am anxiously awaiting her next appearance - a Jody Foster project.

I also want to mention the music in the film. The vocalist, Marideth Sisco, is also the vocalist in the living room band who makes an appearance in one scene. Her voice truly captures the balance of hope and acceptance of plight. This is not a movie for everyone, but it is fascinating and hardcore.