Winter's Bone

If you're feeling slightly down and need some light-hearted fun to pick you up, then you probably want to pick something else to see. If, however, you are tired of the usual multiplex fare and wish to see a superior piece of atmospheric, thought-provoking film-making then this should be first on your list.

Adapated from the novel by Daniel Woodrell, Winter's Bone is the story of Ree - a 17 year-old girl growing up in the challenging environment of the Ozark mountains. In a very closed patriarchal community with its own way of doing things and very pronounced taboos, Ree has to care for her younger siblings and her mum who has mentally shut down. To make matters worse, her dad is missing, is due in court and has put their house up as security against his bail. In order to save the house, Ree sets out to find her dad, dead or alive, despite repeated warnings not to look into things too much.

The film provides an absolutely fascinating look at a hard and closed community whch has little truck with the law. Director Debra Granik also manages to maintain an atmosphere or sustained menace just below the surface, which is all the more remarkable as this very rarely erupts into actual violence (almost all off-screen) and the pacing is slow, if none the less gripping for it. Granik also manages to capture something of the bleak beauty of the region, contrasted with the ragged run-down state of most of the settlements. This is not an easy environment to live in and many of its residents have turned to cooking Meth to get by.

In the central role, Jennifer Lawrence is outstanding - hard and yet human wth dogged determination. Its a performance that is already generating Oscar buzz and deservedly so.

Overall - 8.5/10 Bleakly powerful and gripping. Not an easy watch, but one that is worth it.