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Rewatch
Winter's Bone (2010) Drama
Directed by Debra Granik
Starring Jennifer Lawrence
With notable supporting roles by John Hawkes, and Dale Dickey
This is a favorite of mine. I was bored the other day and my internet wasn't working so I just picked something from my small collection at home. I first saw this back in 2011 and had never heard of Jennifer Lawrence before. I was instantly a fan. I'm still a fan of hers, but her newer movies have not been impressing me as much as The Poker House, The Burning Plain, and Winter's Bone.
Winter's Bone was nominated for 4 academy awards and a golden globe. It didn't win, but it did win AFI Movie of the Year, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, 72 other awards, and 91 other nominations according to IMDB. Jennifer Lawrence and Debra Granik won most of the awards, but John Hawkes and Dale Dickey won awards for their supporting roles, and I also noticed the cinematography and screenwriting getting some wins in.
The movie itself rests very strongly on Jennifer's acting. John Hawkes gets a decent amount of screen time during the second half of the movie, but none whatsoever for the first third or so, and Dale Dickey makes several appearances. I can see why they won awards for best supporting actor/actress. Both of them deliver potent emotions on at least three instances each. I didn't even realise how much they frame Jennifer and complete the movie until reflecting on it now. Hawkes' character, Teardrop, plays the tough uncle to Jennifer's character, Ree. There's such an interesting assortment of exchanges between their two characters. At first Ree is frightened by Teardrop, but later they bond until she is even comforted by him. I think my favorite part for Hawkes' acting as well as his character is when he rescues Ree. The way he says that he's going to take her on out of there to home is touching in a way that brings a smile to your face. Dickey's character has some gentle moments and some spiteful moments too. In one scene where they're in a boat Dickey's voice goes high and cracks slightly as she urges Ree, and in another scene she warns and threaten's Ree with menace, even violence. I still enjoy Jennifer's acting the most. She has a lot of powerful scenes, and even watching her do something as simple as chop wood is still enjoyable somehow. She's charming, but I also think that she just has a lot of character.
The plot revolves around Ree, living normal life until she gets saddled with the burden of tracking down her dad. The movie feels true to it's song of hardship in it's story and atmosphere. You can see how strong Ree is, and how her circumstances have caused her to live very intentionally. The filmmakers, namely Debra Granik, were also very good at portraying intelligence and bringing it out in their actors. Ree doesn't just figure things out because it's in the script. You can see her deep in thought, making wise decisions, and carefully analyzing information with discernment. It's all very well directed, realistic, and detailed. The two children playing Ree's younger siblings are actually local kid's and siblings in real life. A lot of the extras were really just locals. Granik is a little known director who really hasn't done much sadly. Originally when Jennifer applied for the part they said she was too attractive for the role and they wondered about her ability to act, but Jennifer said that she "just showed them that it didn't matter." I admire her passion for acting, and I hope that in the future she can produce something to rival Winter's Bone.
Personal Favorite
January 23rd
Rewatch
Winter's Bone (2010) Drama
Directed by Debra Granik
Starring Jennifer Lawrence
With notable supporting roles by John Hawkes, and Dale Dickey
This is a favorite of mine. I was bored the other day and my internet wasn't working so I just picked something from my small collection at home. I first saw this back in 2011 and had never heard of Jennifer Lawrence before. I was instantly a fan. I'm still a fan of hers, but her newer movies have not been impressing me as much as The Poker House, The Burning Plain, and Winter's Bone.
Winter's Bone was nominated for 4 academy awards and a golden globe. It didn't win, but it did win AFI Movie of the Year, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, 72 other awards, and 91 other nominations according to IMDB. Jennifer Lawrence and Debra Granik won most of the awards, but John Hawkes and Dale Dickey won awards for their supporting roles, and I also noticed the cinematography and screenwriting getting some wins in.
The movie itself rests very strongly on Jennifer's acting. John Hawkes gets a decent amount of screen time during the second half of the movie, but none whatsoever for the first third or so, and Dale Dickey makes several appearances. I can see why they won awards for best supporting actor/actress. Both of them deliver potent emotions on at least three instances each. I didn't even realise how much they frame Jennifer and complete the movie until reflecting on it now. Hawkes' character, Teardrop, plays the tough uncle to Jennifer's character, Ree. There's such an interesting assortment of exchanges between their two characters. At first Ree is frightened by Teardrop, but later they bond until she is even comforted by him. I think my favorite part for Hawkes' acting as well as his character is when he rescues Ree. The way he says that he's going to take her on out of there to home is touching in a way that brings a smile to your face. Dickey's character has some gentle moments and some spiteful moments too. In one scene where they're in a boat Dickey's voice goes high and cracks slightly as she urges Ree, and in another scene she warns and threaten's Ree with menace, even violence. I still enjoy Jennifer's acting the most. She has a lot of powerful scenes, and even watching her do something as simple as chop wood is still enjoyable somehow. She's charming, but I also think that she just has a lot of character.
The plot revolves around Ree, living normal life until she gets saddled with the burden of tracking down her dad. The movie feels true to it's song of hardship in it's story and atmosphere. You can see how strong Ree is, and how her circumstances have caused her to live very intentionally. The filmmakers, namely Debra Granik, were also very good at portraying intelligence and bringing it out in their actors. Ree doesn't just figure things out because it's in the script. You can see her deep in thought, making wise decisions, and carefully analyzing information with discernment. It's all very well directed, realistic, and detailed. The two children playing Ree's younger siblings are actually local kid's and siblings in real life. A lot of the extras were really just locals. Granik is a little known director who really hasn't done much sadly. Originally when Jennifer applied for the part they said she was too attractive for the role and they wondered about her ability to act, but Jennifer said that she "just showed them that it didn't matter." I admire her passion for acting, and I hope that in the future she can produce something to rival Winter's Bone.
Personal Favorite