A film worth seeing

Dark. Foreboding. Menacing.

Those are just a few adjectives that pop to mind in describing "Winter's Bone." If that's not your cup of tea at the movies, then by all means, stay away. But if you appreciate a film that draws you in from the start and keeps you there with superb storytelling, authentic dialogue, regional music, great characters and tight editing, this may be one for you.

Nathan and I saw it last night and, boy, I can see why it won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. This is one of those independent films that puts Hollywood to shame and deserves all the acclaim it receives. It's filmed in Missouri and takes you deep inside a sinister subculture that revolves around meth, violence and a distrust of authorities so entrenched that it engulfs members of an extended family. Ultimately, though, it's a tale of a young woman's perseverance and integrity, of resilience and fierce love for her younger siblings.

Until a few weeks ago, I hadn't heard of the movie or its star, Jennifer Lawrence. But thanks to a blurb in Esquire's June/July issue, I was at least aware of it. When I learned it was in Portland theaters and had made Shawn Levy's "High Five" (he's The Oregonian's film critic), it stoked my curiosity even more. Here's Shawn's synopsis:

"A gripping drama about an Ozark Mountains teen trying to keep a hold on her family home in the wake of her father’s disappearance. The young actress Jennifer Lawrence is remarkably tough, smart and daring in the lead, and John Hawkes is terrifying as the crank-addicted uncle to whom she is forced to turn for help. Director/co-writer Debra Granik (“Down to the Bone”) pares the thing to essentials while leaving room for poetry and the vagaries of an often non-professional acting corps. The film braves an environment and a story that are minefields of cliché and never puts a foot wrong. The result is an engaging tale, a fascinating heroine, and a truly memorable film."

Here is David Katz's take in Esquire on Jennifer Lawrence, whose performance IMHO is worthy of an Oscar nomination.

"The film is a bleak family mystery set in the Ozark Mountains. She plays Ree Dolly, a survival-minded teenager who has to find her meth-head dad in order to save her family home. It's her movie, no question — she's in every single frame — but she almost wasn't in it at all. The producers initially rejected her because she was too attractive. Director Debra Granik (Down to the Bone) was savvy enough to cover up her pretty lead with a wool cap pressed low on her head for much of the movie. But Lawrence's role demanded a lot more than some uglying-up. She handles her character with a balance of rural resignation and girlish fear, and she never loses her grip. It's the kind of place-specific performance Daniel Day-Lewis would spend a year cooking meth in the mountains to get just right."

Here's a trailer:



And now, if I can find the time, I'd love to check out "Inception," Restrepo" and "Cyrus."

Photo by Sebastian Mylnarski