A young girl in search of her meth cooking deadbeat father is faced with some pretty tough obstacles at a pretty young age. Seventeen year old Ree must figure out how to save her home from foreclosure, feed her young siblings and track down her father in this dramatic mystery nior which takes place in the seedy sticks of the Ozark Mountain country in winter. When she discovers she'll lose her home if her father doesn't appear in court on drug distribution charges, Ree begins asking folks around town where she can find him. But things get tough when no one wants to talk. For a girl who feels so strongly about deserving the help she seeks, she sure doesn't get very far. And along the journey she learns that the obligations which have been handed to her by fait will mean a long term commitment. Winter's Bone is a sad story of social circumstance filled with wild characters true to the setting. These people continue to rely on hunting and fishing as its earliest settlers did. Country music, family and survival are all they live for. And they are surrounded by miles of dark, thick, invading woods. And out of these cold bitter woods are born cold-hearted bitter people.
I wasn't as crazy about this film as I was told I should be. Everything leading up to the climax was a little scary, however I felt the climax itself was intended for shock value. Have I just seen too many movies that I have been desensitized to the gruesome challenges of the hero? To be truthful, I think I simply didn't like the lead character. She was tough because of her situation, but not strong the way I would have liked her to be. She showed no real vulnerability, only demanding expectations. Ree was angry with her friend when she wouldn't lend her her husband's truck, but when the friend changed her mind, she replied something to the effect of, “I knew I could count on you, Sweetpea.” I suppose it was important to show how she learned to do what she needed to in order to survive. But that type of personality doesn't ask for a whole lot of sympathy, if you know what I mean. Overall, this was a pretty good movie, but not necessarily worth paying to see it in the theater.
