Winter's Bone: Raw & Compelling

I rented Debra Granik's film, Winter's Bone, last night. Holy low-budget-indie-phenom Batman! I liked everything about the film, but what stuck out most to me (naturally) was the actors.

The film was shot in Missouri in winter using mostly local Missouri actors. The gritty landscapes of the film were eclipsed only by the grittier faces of the Missouri actors in the film who live in this inhospitable region. As Granik says in her commentary on the film, the faces and eyes of these actors say more than any words they speak. Their eyes cut right through you and their faces are ancient maps of survival in the harsh reality of the Ozarks meth trade.

Granik's use of local actors was not just a bid to save money on production. This story really could not have been told by actors outside the region unfamiliar with its idiosyncrasies and the desperate nature of the characters in this story. Admittedly, not all the actors in the film were Missouri natives, but the vast majority were. At least one of the supporting actors had no prior acting experience, but I challenge you to pick out which performance it was (without looking it up or listening to the commentary).

Jennifer Lawrence deserves all the press and praise she's received for her leading role in the film - she was incredible! But there were unforgettable supporting performances from John Hawkes (as Teardrop - left) and Dale Dickey (as Merab - below) that brought the whole story to vivid, disturbing life in ways Lawrence's performance alone could not have.

I just can't say enough good things about this film. As an up and coming actor, I don't yet have a shot at the big-budget blockbusters penned by scribes like Aaron Sorkin and directed by heavyweights like Michael Mann or James Cameron. It's movies like Winter's Bone - so solid and profound in their own right that Hollywood and the world must take notice - that I aspire to be apart of.

Have you seen it? What did you think? What did you like/dislike about the film? What other compelling indie films have you seen?

(photo courtesy of Sebastian Mlynarski)

-- Gabriel Voss

Comments

[Kristin]

When Debra Granik was fine tuning her script for "Winter's Bone", she came to the University of AZ and I was part of a workshop with her so that she could see and hear her scenes with actors. I read several scenes, several different ways, as the Rhee Dolly character. It was a wonderful experience and what a thrill to see the film go as far as it has!

[Alex Post]

I've seen all the movies nominated this year and Winter's Bone is definitely the most compelling. As someone who lives in rural Kentucky, it is probably the most authentic portrayal of abject poverty in rural area that I've ever seen. John Hawkes delivers an amazingly complex performance as the drug addicted uncle. I understand the technical aspects of Inception are amazing and the Coen Bros are always great, but this film steals the show. If it loses to something like The Social Network, then I'll be very disappointed.

[Gabriel Voss]

Kristin - Thanks amazing! How'd you get to do that? Very jealous!

Alex - Unfortunately, I haven't seen a few of the heavy hitters in the Best Picture category, but having seen Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, and Inception, I think Winter's Bone deserves it as among those films. As I've said above, the film deserves it for the story, characters, etc., but one of the more important elements from my perspective is what Granik did with what she had. She didn't have a big Hollywood name starring in the film nor did she have a blockbuster budget. Nevertheless, she turned in such a phenomenal piece of filmmaking that it has been honored with the Oscar nod (and countless accolades). I've been reading that The Social Network has such Oscar cred because it deals with a subject matter (Facebook) that is new and nearly ubiquitous globally. Not sure why that makes a film Best Picture though. Still, the writing in that film is certainly second to none. Aaron Sorkin at his best.

[Rob]

I finally saw it over the weekend. Lost in all of the well-deserved accolades for the director, the actors, and the location filming is a phenomenal, well-told story. This is great stuff.

[Gabriel Voss]

Rob - Glad you finally got to see it! Such a great movie and now you see how Jennifer Lawrence got on everyone's radar. Thanks for stopping by!