Winter’s Bone, Blu-ray (2010)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
Director: Debra Granik
Studio: Lionsgate [10/26/10]
Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Extras: Audio commentary by director, Deleted scenes, “The Making of Winter’s Bone,” Music video: “Hardscrabble Elegy” with Dickon Hinchliffe, Theatrical trailer, Alternate opening
Length: 100 minutes
Rating: *****
Many viewers think this film – which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance – is set in Appalachia, but it is actually the Ozarks of Missouri. In both, as in many other rural area, methamphetamine is devastating the communities. 17-year-old Ree is the lead character; her father has disappeared after being picked up by the police for meth production, and he put up the family home as bail collateral. His wife is mentally ill and Ree has to take care of a small brother and sister. If her father has skipped out on his bail, they will lose the house and property.
With gritty realism the saga of Ree’s determined attempt to find out what happened to her father is detailed. It is a cruel world, distorted by crank, with much hopelessness and occasional violence. Even without the house problem, the family is so poor it doesn’t have enough food or hay for the horses. She even attempts to enlist in the Armed Services to get some money fast when it appears the authorities will take the house. She is part of a large extended family but they are emotionally distant from one another and even beat her up when she inquires about her father. She does eventually find out what happened to him and it is not a pretty story. The film is difficult to watch, but extremely realistic, dramatic and moving. The basic plot is quite simple, but it seems more complex, though at times rather slow-moving. There are some good scenes of country music-making that aficionados of that genre will appreciate. A comparison has been made between Winter’s Bone and last year’s The Hurt Locker. Both were made by female directors and both are grittily realistic. This one may be even better filmmaking.
The mood of the film is excellent and all the actors extremely believable. The film was shot using the new Red pro video system and although many scenes are obviously only natural light, the exposure and details in the images are just fine. The featurette on the making of the film is unfortunately the most boring such featurette I have ever seen.
— John Sunier
