Netflix review: Winter's Bone

When all the hoopla for the much anticipated Hunger Games release earlier this year occurred, much was being said about it's undeniable star, Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence , who got her start on the rightly short-lived Bill Engvall Show,  had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress the year before for her turn in (wait for it) Winter's Bone. So naturally when I heard it was on Netflix, I was excited to see it and can say with absolute certainty that I was not disappointed, even though I went into the movie knowing nothing about the plot whatsoever.


Winter's Bone finds Lawrence playing a 17 year old girl named Ree who lives in the Ozarks, looking after her much younger brother and sister, as her mother stays in her room, riddled by a depression and mental illness that is never really specified. Her father, a drug manufacturer, suddenly disappears, neglecting his court date and leaving his family in danger of losing their house because he could not pay his bond. Left with no choice, Ree tries throughout the movie to try and find her father, dead or alive.

I confess that before this movie, I did not know much about the people that live among the Ozarks but that one of the film left me feeling that the conditions displayed in this movie were probably fairly accurate. It's setting, and particularly the time of year the movie was shot in (November?), reminds the watcher of the film's most important theme; the struggle of people in a cold, barren world , where opportunity comes and in turn goes as the cruel winds of circumstance see fit. Of course, the landscape reminds us of this as it lies in the background, but the theme is reinforced in one particular scene where a squirrel runs aimlessly along branches of a forest. In fact, that interjected scene works particularly well because I was convinced it was shot in gray scale. Instead the natural shades from the squirrel, branch and sky were just extremely well juxtaposed.

However, we all know that most people couldn't give a hoot about petty nuances such as that particular scene and ultimately the movie is made as striking as it is by its acting performances. Lawrence has this way of making you care about her and her plight right from the very beginning, and at times you find yourself caring about the outcome of the movie not because it would make a good ending but just because you want it to turn out alright for her and her family so much.  This is aided by the fact that everyone seems so much against her, and in the opening twenty minutes of the film I could not help but feel huge pangs of emotion as the male characters in particular,  intimidate and roughhouse her. To her immense credit, Lawrence's body language when faced with this abusive behaviour is perfect; each expression on her face so spot on that it is no wonder she was nominated for an Oscar.

This was one of  those movies on Netflix you watch and remark that you've found a gem, but is not the sort of thing that will ever be anyone's favourite movie. Throughout the movie, I was constantly reminded of the latter parts of Steinbeck's novel Grapes of Wrath, such was the grit and hopelessness sometimes portrayed by people just trying to get a break. The striking climax of Winter's Bone stayed true to this comparison, giving Lawrence yet more meat to work with.

Sorry Grapes of Wrath fans, there is no weird breastfeeding by Jennifer Lawrence

 What makes this movie relevant is Lawrence's fantastic performance, and it is only a matter of time until she eclipses it in a much bigger film. If Lawrence fulfills her potential over the rest of her career, this will become one of those films people like to watch because they love seeing a young version of her, with all the fanfare and promise of the next great actress of our time.