Director Report Card: Debra Granik (2010)

2. Winter's Bone

“Down to the Bone” made an impression on the independent film circuit but it could hardly be called a breakthrough film. For her next feature, coming six years later, Debra Granik would adapt Daniel Woodrell's novel, “Winter's Bone.” The film would be a starring role for an unknown actress named Jennifer Lawrence. “Winter's Bone” would ride a wave of buzz from the festival circuit to mainstream critical praises. It would top a number of critic's lists at the end of 2010 and receive four Oscar nominations. Including one for Lawrence, who would go on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the last decade. But you already knew all of that. Looking back on it now, a decade later, what made “Winter's Bone” such a special movie?

Ree Dolly is the only person taking care of her family. Living in a ramshackle home deep in the Ozarks, she watches after her two younger siblings and her mentally ill mother. Her father has disappeared. Her dad was a meth cooker, part of a drug underground that dominates the entire rural area. Ree is informed that, unless her father appears at his court hearing, the home will be sold to the state. Ree sets out on a mission to locate her absent father, sending her into the local underworld and all the danger that entails. Yet she refuses to back down, until she gets the answers she needs and deserves.

A key scene in “Winter's Bone” has Ree teaching her younger siblings how to shoot a rifle. When her friend asks what's that for, she responds with simply “Survival.” Indeed, survival and family are the main themes of “Winter's Bone.” Ree has taken it upon herself to protect her little siblings and her mom. In the bleak winter of Missouri, holding onto their home is truly a matter of life or death. Her devotion to her family is tested by the extended members of her family, including her father's unstable brother and a series of drug-addled cousins. In “Winter's Bone,” the old question of how thick blood truly is, whether Ree can count on extended family members to help her protect her immediate family, is put forward. She is totally uncertain and the audience is too, totally left uncertain of where everyone's loyalties lie.

As interesting as these ideas and themes are, Jennifer Lawrence's titanic performance dominates discussion of “Winter's Bone.” Ree is an extraordinary character. Once it becomes clear that her family is in danger, she becomes an indomitable force. Every time a road block is thrown in her face, she powers forward. This quiet, steely toughness is unforgettable. Ree truly emerges as a heroine for our time, as powerful as she is empathetic. I've said some not-so-flattering things about the performances Jennifer Lawrence has given, after becoming America's Sweetheart. Often, I've found her either too shrill or phoning-it-in. In “Winter's Bone,” she fantastic, totally believable as a young woman who can not be stopped or swayed by anyone.

“Winter's Bone” is a natural evolution of the themes first present in “Down to the Bone.” And not just because they both have the word “bone” in the title. If Granik's feature debut hinted at the everyday poverty its characters inhabited, “Winter's Bone” moves this idea to the forefront. Ree and the Dolly kids live in a wood cabin, isolated in the Missouri woods. The building is falling apart. The family often has little food, their fridge being nearly empty. These are not atypical lodgings for the area. All the homes in “Winter's Bone” are in disrepair, looking even more stark amid the stony, cold landscapes. As sad as these affairs are, Ree will do anything to hold onto that home. This is what it's like under the poverty line. You've got nothing and you have to fight tooth and nail to keep nothing. “Winter's Bone” is a startling depiction of this life.

Another element connecting Granik's debut and her breakthrough feature is how it depicts the way drugs have fortified themselves into these impoverished communities. In the Ozarks of “Winter's Bone,” drugs are so common that nobody thinks of them as unusual. When “cooking” – operating a meth lab – is first referenced, Ree totally shrugs it off. In quick succession, she's offered weed, coke, and alcohol. Later on, her uncle casually sniffs some powder as if it's no big deal. The creation and sale of crank is the primary economy out there in the mountains. If “Down to the Bone” showed how drugs operate in a seemingly normal person's life, “Winter's Bone” shows how drugs can completely crippled an entire neighborhood.

While “Down to the Bone” was a naturalistic drama, “Winter's Bone” does see Debra Granik adapting her style to an identifiable stock genre plot. The film follows in the foot steps of noir. Like any countless number of hard-boiled detectives before her, Ree Dolly charges forward to resolve her goal. She follows various leads on the way to locating her father, tracking down clues. That includes several dead ends and false leads, such as the burnt-out ruins of an exploded meth lab. Like frequently happens in noir, Ree even gets the shit beat out of her by some tough customers. It's easy to imagine “Winter's Bone” being pitched as “a noir set in the world of Ozark meth-heads”

Yet, as was the case last time, Granik is not so interested in genre conventions or tropes. Instead, “Winter's Bone” grows increasingly grim and unnerving as it progresses. Ree is indomitable but the criminal underworld is no place for a teenager. A moment when she tracks down a crime boss, at the back of a cattle auction, is the signal that “Winter's Bone” is heading into even darker territory. An almost unbearably tense sequence has a nosy patrolman pulling over Ree and her uncle, an act of violence threatening to break loose. It peaks in the film's moonlit climax, across a shimmering lake, where an act of bodily mutilation resolves the story. “Winter's Bone” drags the viewer along, events getting darker and darker.

In “Down to the Bone,” Granik depicted Irene's sons bonding with a pet snake. It seems animals are emerging as a re-occurring theme in her work too. Animals are frequently in the background of “Winter's Bone.” A humble dog lives with the Dolly family and the kids bring home another stray early in the story. Ree has to give away the family's horse when money starts to get even tighter. Squirrels and deer appear as food. The film concludes with the introduction of some baby chickens. The link between the Dolly kids, which are in desperate need of Ree's protection and care, and these defenseless animals is clear. Humans and animals are all just trying to survive. And, sometimes, sacrifices have to be made.

Granik's visual sense as a filmmaker is evolving too. “Winter's Bone” is largely characterized by the same documentary-like intimacy that defined her debut. There are multiple scenes shot with gritty, handheld camera work. This certainly fits the stark, gloomy setting of the story. However, Granik also gets a little more stylish at times. A confrontation between Ree and her uncle in a car is drowned in deep shadows, increasing the sinister feeling of the scene. After getting beaten, and taking some painkillers, Ree has a black-and-white dream about a squirrel. That's the film's most arty moment, a dreamy and interesting note on a film otherwise rooted in realism.

Jennifer Lawrence's performance takes up the most room in 'Winter's Bone” but the film has a healthy supporting cast. John Hawkes was also nominated for an Oscar, for his role as Teardrop, Ree's unseemly uncle. Hawkes does a great job of portraying a morally ambiguous character, a frightening man who leaves the audience constantly uneasy. Yet Hawkes adds more complexity, not playing Teardrop as a simple villain but someone with complex motivations of his own. Dale Dickey is also notable as Merab, a hardened woman who equally goads and guides Ree on her journey.

Befitting her documentary style, Granik doesn't use a lot of music in this film or her previous one. However, “Winter's Bone” does have several notable musical moments. The film begins with an Ozark folk song, helping to establish the setting and feeling of the film. Later on, a birthday party features an enthusiastic song between background characters, another sonic burst of bluegrass to liven up the dark tone. In its final moments, a banjo is picked up. “Winter's Bone” seems to suggest that music can bring together divided people, connecting individuals with their culture and community. It's an interesting touch.

From the moment I first read about “Winter's Bone,” I thought it sounded pretty interesting. After seeing the film, it was clearly one of the best of the year. So I was pleased to see it gained multiple Oscar nominations. The film's legacy, at least as far as introducing Jennifer Lawrence to the wider public goes, is somewhat complicated. Yet, taken on its own, “Winter's Bone” still stands out as a beautifully acted and layered motion picture. An exciting and involving film, it creates an unforgettable world and delivers its powerful story with maximum impact. [Grade: A]