Silver Screen Showdown: Winter's Bone

Each year the Academy Awards nominates one low-budget, unexpected film for Best Picture. Last year, it was the dramatic film Precious, and this year, the indie spot goes to the haunting Winter's Bone.

For some students of William Jewell College, this movie is much closer to home than they realize. For other students (including myself), Winter's Bone is, in fact, home. The movie is based off of a novel by West Plains, Mo. native Daniel Woodrell (it is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay as well), and it was filmed in the rural Ozarks surrounding Forsyth, Mo.

The plot is both compelling and accessible enough for viewers. After 17-year-old Ree Dolly's (Jennifer Lawrence) mother becomes catatonic and her rarely-present father begins cooking meth, Ree must take on her parents' responsibilities and care for her two younger siblings. When Ree's father, Jessup, is arrested, the Sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) informs Ree that Jessup has put up his house as collateral for his bail. If Jessup does not show up to the trial in one week, then Ree will lose her home. Ree is determined to find Jessup within the week; Winter's Bone is the story of her search through her poverty-stricken community.

It's always easy for more privileged viewers to dismiss those who live in the Ozarks as good-for-nothing rednecks. In the film, Ree teaches her six-year-old sister Ashlee (played by adorable Forsyth native, Ashlee Thomspon) how to fire a gun, and Ree later prepares fried squirrel for dinner. "Trailer-trash hillbillies," you might say, but you would be too quick to judge. The truth is, Ree must teach her siblings survival skills – literally, how to eat – because she does not have the money to make a Wal-Mart run and buy some Mac-n-Cheese.

One of the greatest aspects of the film is its ability to challenge the audience's tendency to differentiate itself from "white trash." Though the local color is detailed in the movie, Winter's Bone is a story about a girl who must make difficult ethical decisions at far too young an age and reconcile her notions of justice within a dangerous world. Confronted with such a story, the viewer can no longer flatten the redneck stereotype, but is forced to consider the characters with a sense of depth and humanity.

For an Ozarks native, another engaging part of the film was the attention to local detail. For instance, Ree wears an oversized, brown Carhartt jacket, and the wood-paneled walls are decorated with kitschy Precious Moments cards. Lawrence and the phenomenal John Hawkes, who plays sinister Uncle Teardrop, both perfect the Ozark accents and mannerisms. The cinematography is so well-executed that the viewer can almost feel the chilly wind through the dead trees, or even smell the cigarette smoke in the musty town bars; the scenes are complimented by the authentic Ozark mountain music, played by none other than Maredith Sisco, host of Springfield's local radio show "These Ozark Hills."

In the end, Winter's Bone is simply a good story. The characters are nuanced and skillfully acted (Lawrence is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Hawkes is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role). The slower pace of the film contributes to the contemplative and suspenseful mood, while the dialogue never seems contrived and the ending is wonderfully, yet woefully, unexpected.

Winter's Bone is not a film for those with a short attention span or those who lack an appreciation for artful cinematography. If you enjoyed The Last Airbender and are convinced that it was snubbed of an Oscar nomination - well, don't watch Winter's Bone. You'll only become bored. Also, you should probably take a film class called "M. Night Shyamalan is the Worst Ever 101."

Winter's Bone will not win the Academy Award. It's a Sundance darling, a low budget film in competition with other Oscar favorites such as the witty The Social Network. Winter's Bone should win, though, partly because it doesn't include Justin Timberlake, but primarily because it stands as a testament to great story-telling; Winter's Bone certainly receives my vote.

Kasia Kovacs can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.