Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Dale Dickey, Shelley Waggener, Kevin Breznahan, Ashlee Thompson, Tate Taylor, Sheryl Lee, Cody Shiloh Brown, Isaiah Stone, Ronnie Hall
Directed by Debra Granik
Expectations: High. I’ve heard nothing but good things.
It has been a long time since I’ve felt this conflicted about my feelings for a movie. The film ended and I was at a loss for words. I had to recount the entire narrative in my head to see if I had missed anything, if there was some missing link hidden in the frost for me to uncover. I pondered the film for a while after viewing, trying to wrap my head around why things were the way they were. Once I came to terms with these facts, I respected the film more for what it was, but I can’t say that watching Winter’s Bone was a pleasant experience.
Plainly put, it’s boring. The pace is very slow, which fits the location and the characters perfectly, but everything is so muted and calm that it becomes easy to miss key information and lose track of the plot line. This is definitely a movie in the camp of films that expect the viewer to meet it halfway. That all being said, Winter’s Bone is a very well-made film technically. The color scheme never strays too far from the cold gray and blue world of a snowy winter, but somehow director Debra Granik is able to make every shot interesting and emotive of the situation. The acting from the entire cast is excellent as well, with John Hawkes standing out as the best of the bunch. The characters are an interesting bunch for sure, skillfully blending intelligence with a backwoods mafia vibe. They never seem like the stupid hillbillies that usually inhabit these types of movies, instead echoing real people with real lives. While I think the script has a few logic jumps that don’t make sense (could just be my boredom), overall it must be commended for its realistic characters. I do wonder how much of this comes from the novel it is based on.
At the end of the day though, Winter’s Bone remains a boring movie that I can’t really recommend, but it’s not a bad movie either.
Strong performances by Hawkes and Lawrence but I agree this movie deliberate pace and minimalistic style was a turn-off for me as well.
Yeah the acting is good, and it’s not a bad movie… it’s just not something that really did anything for me.
Hawkes was excellent (I only watched this after finding out about his nomination) beyond that though, meh.
Yeah, pretty much. I’m surprised it got a Best Picture nomination.
Funny enough, I did not find the pacing that slow at all. This actually ended up being my favourite film of the year in fact. I do see how the style of the film could irk people though.
Wow, really? I’m not afraid of a slow-mover, but to me it was so painfully slow I couldn’t keep track of it because I kept wandering off. Glad you liked it though, it does seem like it has a lot to offer if you can get past the pacing.
One of the most negative reactions to the film I’ve read. I haven’t seen it yet so can’t comment either way. But perhaps it’s a grower?
It might play better on a re-watch because I would know what I was getting into, but I don’t think I’ll be giving it another chance anytime soon. My high expectations surely didn’t help either.
I wasn’t totally involved with this story, but the acting and character driven element made me like it more. Still, I think it’s the weakest out of the Best Picture race this year! Good review, check out mine when you can!
Thanks, I definitely agree it’s the weakest Best Pic nominee. I still haven’t 127 Hours, King’s Speech and The Fighter yet though.
A little boring but great acting and over all a good movie. Not exactly for those with short attention spans. Woth watching again for me.
Are you saying I have a short attention span?