WINTER'S BONE

WINTER'S BONE - 2010

RATED - R for language and violence and drug content. Certainly not the worst R rated movie by any means.  No sex or nudity. Some killing and skinning of animals. Take it seriously for under 15.

RATINGS - 38 Amazon (4.5/5), 34,556 Netflix (3.6/5), 4,954 IMDB (7.6/10).

AWARDS - THE GRAND JURY PRIZE for DRAMA at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

THEMES - Justice, relationships.

STORY - The story takes place deep in the Ozarks.  The people in the film would be commonly referred to as 'white trash'. Their homes are more like junk yards than homes and they live in a culture dominated by drugs and violence (or the threat of violence). Ree is a 17 year old young woman left with the responsibility of raising her 12 year old brother and 7 year old sister and taking care of her mother who suffers from depression and is there in body only.  The father has been in and out of trouble with the law for 'cooking crank' and spent time in prison. They live in a shack of a home with a 100 acres of woods behind.  One of the more poignant moments occurs early when Ree takes her brother & sister to school and as she's leaving she looks in the windows of the classrooms where her peers are learning to care for a baby or practicing ROTC drills or other things that a normal 17 year old girl would be doing in school. But Ree is no ordinary 17 year old no matter how you slice it. She's determined to make it (if only to survive) with the cards she's been dealt. When she finds out that her father used their property as collateral to post bail for his upcoming court appearance and they will lose the home in a week if he doesn't show, she becomes obsessed with finding him to protect the only material possession they have.  No one seems to know (or is willing to tell if they do) where her father is. Finding him is the plot of the story.  But it is also a social drama on this overlooked subculture in America. This is not a feel good, happy ending film. It's a very realistic and well done drama about people who seem to have very little hope in this world for a better life and spend their lives living on the fringe of society with drugs and their family feuds. The violence and the language are not overly graphic or gratuitous but caution in watching with anyone under 15-16.  Well done and well written film about this subculture. Hard to watch and riveting at the same time.  Jennifer Lawrence does a great job as Ree. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11-07-2010,

LINKS - AMAZON, NETFLIX,  IMDB