Review: Winter's Bone

Every year around autumn and winter time, there always seems to be at least one performance that heralds a brand new acting talent on the scene. Last year we had both Carey Mulligan in An Education and Gabourey Sidibe in Precious. This year the honour goes to Jennifer Lawrence who portrays Ree a young girl from the Ozark mountains who has to go on a journey to find her deadbeat father. Ree has basically become both mother and father to her two younger siblings since her father's disappearance she is their cook, protector and confedent. So when she finds out that their father has put the house up for colaterall for his bail and has since gone missing she sets out to uncover the secrets behind his disappearance. This leads her to battle the community head on as she runs into trouble thanks to the close-nit secrets that our being kept. Her only ally is her slightly dodgy uncle who wants to her help keep the family together.

As I already mentioned the most positive thing about the film is Lawrence's performance. After playing a young Charlize Theron in last year's underrated The Burning Plain, Winter's Bone is definitely her ticket to the big time. Lawrence gives Ree a toughness rarely scene in female characters of her age but at the same time she makes it clear that she is still a girl. At one point Ree goes to the army so she can earn money to keep the house and her siblings safe, however once she finds out she can't have the money straight away she starts to crack. The other interesting performance is from John Hawkes as uncle Teardrop the slightly unhinged protector of Ree who gives an unpredictable and completely watchable turn. However, thanks to Ree's trek, the brutal surroundings of the Ozark mountains becomes its own character every small hut and its inhabitants providing more obstacles for the young heroine. Winter's Bone isn't an easy watch and it is fairly slow but if you stick with it then you'll find a film that is both compelling and breathtaking in its scale and its performances. I think we'll be hearing Lawrence's name a lot more after the award's season.