Film Analysis: Winters Bone

Set in the dreary backcountry of Missouri, isolated and separated from mainstream society the Ozark’s are home to another world, one left behind where modern technology is nowhere in sight, and methamphetamine flourishes in a devastated economy. It is also home to Ree Dolly. “Winters Bone” follows the journey of this extraordinary 17-year old who proves that heroes don’t just come out of picture books. Heroes can be ordinary people put in difficult predicaments and must rise to face their circumstances. Ree asks for nothing, relying on the sparse kindness of neighbors she makes a life for her, her two younger siblings and her emotional stunted and mentally absent mother. Yet poverty is not the issue, the initial conflict in this film

As David Denby’s critique states, “the Plainness never goes slack”(Denby). Much of this can be attributed to cinematographer Michael McDonough who captured the film's mysterious tone through the lens of a camera. His virtuosic use of focus gives life not only to the actors but, to the scenery as well. Old cars, abandoned houses, and broken farm equipment all portray a story of past life giving the film an air of sentimentalism. Created through “suggestion, and half finished sentences”(Denby) the film itself is profoundly tense and an aura of underlying violence and anger is always present in the extremely authentic characters that Ree encounters on her quest. Granik envelops the reader in the mystery of the past but, staying true to the feel of the film she gives away nothing. The impeccable performances put on by Jennifer Lawrence who plays Ree, and John Hawkes who plays Teardrop must not go without notice. Lawrence's ever burning energy keeps the film alive, and Hawkes embodied hangdog expression perfectly and brought an unusual balance of menace and tenderness. Teardrops moments of kindness were spots of color on a black canvass. Finally to supplement the good acting and exquisite cinematography, the soundtrack was eloquent aiding the performance where necessary, but at the same time not overused. The music matched the authentic

Would I consider this film a triumph in feminist cinema? The answer to that question is yes. The Film primarily has men in power with Thumper at the top of the patriarchy. I do agree that it is certainly noticeable that most of the dialogue the women have is about men and their power, and as Ree goes from house to house asking about her father that it's the wives or the female presence that greet Ree and who seem to be running the house. “However, the men in the film fail abysmally through cowardice, greed, and spite”(Wellum).We see her throughout the film playing a maternal role, but at the same time she plays the role of the protector, one the man would usually play. Although the way she goes about fulfilling this role uses a very different approach than one a man would take, she doesn’t resort to masculine means of power. So in this instance I would say yes, this film is feminist. It highlights a strong powerful female that has not interest in fulfilling the stereotypical female image of just looking pretty. Ree invades the boundary between the life of a male in her family and the life of a female. She holds strong and is never persuaded by a male opinion, nor does she heed to their threatening warnings. Many think the problem of antifeminism is solved. Look around us, yes it is