Winter`s Bone

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is just 17 years old and yet the responsibility for her family already rests squarely on her shoulders. Her father Jessup is a fugitive drug criminal, her mother is mentally ill and unable to care for Ree and her siblings, 12-year-old Sonny (Isaiah Stone) and 6-year-old Ashlee (Ashlee Thompson). When Ree learns that Jessup, who has been released on bail, has failed to show up for a court date and that the family's property, which is listed as collateral, will be seized if he doesn't reappear in the next seven days, the girl must embark on a dangerous search for her father. But time and again she comes up against a wall of silence, lies, and threats, which doesn`t stop her from searching for the truth.

"Winter`s Bone" is admittedly not what one would commonly call a feel-good movie. Now that may sound off-putting, but that judgment shouldn`t necessarily be taken as a negative. For the film adaptation of the bestseller "Winters Knochen" by Daniel Woodrell is, beneath its brittle surface, a very special kind of actor's cinema wrapped in engaging images. In her second feature film, director Debra Granik takes a completely unvarnished look at a life defined by poverty and drugs in an America that has absolutely nothing to do with the image Hollywood usually likes to convey of the country. It's true that the gloomy wasteland of southern Missouri exudes an undeniable fascination, if only because of the great work of Scottish cinematographer Michael McDonough. Nothing here is truly beautiful, though - neither the land, nor the people.

The film is carried almost entirely by the entirely deserved Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence. The young actress, who will soon be seen in Jodie Foster's "The Beaver" alongside Mel Gibson, as well as in the new "X-Men" film, is convincing with her understatedly authentic performance, which believably conveys the fears Ree must overcome and the strength her character must develop in order to uncover the truth about her father's disappearance. To be sure, the rest of the cast, such as John Hawkes ("Deadwood") and Sheryl Lee ("Twin Peaks"), also deliver very good performances that fit perfectly into the dark overall picture. But the fact that "Winter`s Bone" ended up being so worth watching despite all its dreariness is solely due to Jennifer Lawrence`s acting.

There is one very intense scene in particular, presented with relentless brutality, that will stay with the viewer for a long time and breaks up the otherwise very sustained action in a painful way. Surely, "Winter`s Bone" is nothing for the mass taste, not a film for an enjoyable movie night. Because some times the popcorn could get stuck in your throat. But for those who appreciate American art house cinema and can simply be convinced by great actors, bleak but fascinating images and a strong story, "Winter`s Bone" is warmly recommended. Worth Seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp