Brian's Review - Winter's Bone

Film noir for the discerning redneck.

Released: 2010
Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Movies are, at their very deepest cores, art forms, epic poems, and psychologically-layered character studies rolled into single, quickly-digestible visual feasts. Oftentimes, when a film lacks these crucial ingredients that allow it to truly tell a story, directors try to get our attention by cramming in high-octane action sequences and overblown special effects, pulling the focus towards the onscreen eye candy, and away from the plot or characters. "Winter's Bone" does not fall into this lazy habit, rather bringing all of the focus onto the characters, how they interact within a barren setting, and how these elements alone have the ability to drive some wickedly pointed and potent storytelling. The movie makes its home in the socially-isolated, poverty-ridden Ozarks, and the utter, almost grayscale bleakness of this setting consumes everything it touches, quickly establishing the tone for this bitter, backwater drama. While relatively slow-moving in its presentation, "Winter's Bone" doesn't plod, but rather ponders and becomes thoughtful, as its colorful, yet eerily-realistic, cast of characters weaves in and out of the chilling tapestry of a story that can only be referred to as "redneck noir." In sharp contrast to the sparse, desolate, decrepit scenery, every actor here makes their role feel lived-in: the people that inhabit this tale feel incredibly convincing, at times tense and passionately staunch about their personal and social codes, at others dark, grim, and ragged from a world that has hardened their resolution into diamond, while simultaneously draining them of all hope. These people will chill you to your core - if not from the actors' uncanny representations, then from the unsettling way that the townsfolk adhere to a morally-gray ideal of honor. "Winter's Bone" is unafraid to cast an unblinking eye on the gritty underbelly of Americana, and while some may find the quest of its teenage protagonist more disturbing than others, most will be able to see the ordeal as a truly extraordinary example of human willpower shining in the darkest of places. This is as good as American suspense gets, without the need for car chases or government conspiracies.

Rating (out of 5): 4