Winter's Bone
"When you see your SAT scores"- Kevin
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Kevin Breznahan
Directed by: Debra Granik
Winter's Bone is a 2010 sleeper film adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The basic plot consists of a teenager named Ree (played by Jennifer Lawrence) who is searching for her drug dealing father and simultaneously trying to keep her family of three (including her sick mother and siblings) intact. If you ask my opinion of the film, I thought it was good -- my favorite aspects of the film include the soundtrack of mountain/Gospel/folk music, J-Law's acting, and the camera work. I did, however, think that it was a bit slow-paced, took a lot of time to build up, and was at times hard to follow; let's just say, it was pretty much the opposite of Spike Lee's Crooklyn. More on that point, I find the contrast between these two films startling: Crooklyn opens with an upbeat soul tune and a bright color pallet, while Winter's Bone opens with a lone female mountain singer and a dull, neutral color pallet; Crooklyn consists of a nearly all African-American cast and is likewise directed by a black man (Spike Lee), while Winter's Bone consists of a nearly (if not, entirely) all white cast and is directed by a white female; Crooklyn takes place in the city of Brooklyn, while Winter's Bone takes place in the Ozark Mountains; Crooklyn's soundtrack is upbeat, electric, and funky, while Winter's Bone's soundtrack is somber, acoustic, and folky; shall I go on? The one similarity they share, however, is a strong female protagonist.
One theme we discussed before and during the critical viewing of this film is that of norms and taboos. It turns out that Ree's father is dead because of an explosion in a meth lab, and that dealing with narcotics is the norm to make money in this dirt poor, rural area; and that Ree's father put his family's house up as a collateral for his bail, and if he doesn't show up in a week, the Dollies lose everything. Another norm in this backwoods is to not poke your nose into anybody's business, and Ree commits a taboo by constantly breaking this rule. even after her uncle Teardrop (played by John Hawkes) reveals that he might have been murdered. Ree confronts this local norm and becomes a strong female protagonist through that and her ability to raise her siblings on her own. While I may have had some problems with this film's pacing and slow build up, I admire Jennifer Lawrence's strong lead performance and I strongly recommend this film to those who love Oscar-bait/sleeper films, Jennifer Lawrence, strong female protagonists, and folk music.
Winter's Bone is a 2010 sleeper film adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The basic plot consists of a teenager named Ree (played by Jennifer Lawrence) who is searching for her drug dealing father and simultaneously trying to keep her family of three (including her sick mother and siblings) intact. If you ask my opinion of the film, I thought it was good -- my favorite aspects of the film include the soundtrack of mountain/Gospel/folk music, J-Law's acting, and the camera work. I did, however, think that it was a bit slow-paced, took a lot of time to build up, and was at times hard to follow; let's just say, it was pretty much the opposite of Spike Lee's Crooklyn. More on that point, I find the contrast between these two films startling: Crooklyn opens with an upbeat soul tune and a bright color pallet, while Winter's Bone opens with a lone female mountain singer and a dull, neutral color pallet; Crooklyn consists of a nearly all African-American cast and is likewise directed by a black man (Spike Lee), while Winter's Bone consists of a nearly (if not, entirely) all white cast and is directed by a white female; Crooklyn takes place in the city of Brooklyn, while Winter's Bone takes place in the Ozark Mountains; Crooklyn's soundtrack is upbeat, electric, and funky, while Winter's Bone's soundtrack is somber, acoustic, and folky; shall I go on? The one similarity they share, however, is a strong female protagonist.
One theme we discussed before and during the critical viewing of this film is that of norms and taboos. It turns out that Ree's father is dead because of an explosion in a meth lab, and that dealing with narcotics is the norm to make money in this dirt poor, rural area; and that Ree's father put his family's house up as a collateral for his bail, and if he doesn't show up in a week, the Dollies lose everything. Another norm in this backwoods is to not poke your nose into anybody's business, and Ree commits a taboo by constantly breaking this rule. even after her uncle Teardrop (played by John Hawkes) reveals that he might have been murdered. Ree confronts this local norm and becomes a strong female protagonist through that and her ability to raise her siblings on her own. While I may have had some problems with this film's pacing and slow build up, I admire Jennifer Lawrence's strong lead performance and I strongly recommend this film to those who love Oscar-bait/sleeper films, Jennifer Lawrence, strong female protagonists, and folk music.
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