Winter's Bone

So you know that joke, "I hear banjo music - paddle faster?" Then you remember how totally skeeved out we all were when we saw Deliverance... quite possibly the most terrifying film I can remember back then because it was so... real. And raw. And even though a lot of that film was sort of ridiculous, the people it represented were real people who live off the ordinary map of suburban Americana. The people who live in poverty and who eek out an existence by whatever means available; back then it was bootlegging and edging toward the farming of marijuana and now it's come all the way to cooking meth. And those people will still creep you out in Winter's Bone.

So enter the world of Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) who is 17 and the closest thing to a responsible adult to her two younger siblings and her mom. Apparently Mom has just abdicated, and Dad is wanted by the law and missing. Just to make life interesting is the fact that Dad put the family home up for his bond, and if he doesn't turn up the family will be summarily evicted. So Ree mans up and heads into the woods and into a world where what and who you know will keep you alive or feed you to the pigs.

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (John Hawkes) and Best Adapted Screenplay this is a film with amazing chops made on a shoestring with a virtually unknown director (guarantee Debra Granik won't stay unknown for long and she should have been nominated as well.) Lawrence and Hawkes are both crazy good and I was fascinated by the careful relationship that they create. This is just a great little film; both real and raw and sure to creep you out and break your heart. Because people really do live like this. Website here.