Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Winter's Bone - 2010 - 4½ Stars

Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
Director: Debra Granik

Film and poverty rarely mix well. Something about the camera alters the suffering - even in a documentary, it can feel staged (Powaqqatsi). Directors tend to think poverty must be ennobling or somehow glamorous; since it is truly awful, there must be some sort of hidden benefit. Maybe a poor family can be actually be a rural quirkfest (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?). The film doesn't condescend to its characters' values, nor does it seem to modify them to fit our prejudices.

Winter's Bone manages to slip past all the pitfalls. The protagonist, Ree, does not have a heart of gold, she's not made better by her suffering, and she's not that much more knowledgeable than the people around her. The film succeeds by putting real characters around her - John Hawkes turns in a masterful performance as Ree's uncle. The world of Winter's Bone may or may not be real, but it sure as hell feels real, and that's all a film needs to do.

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