America’s cold, brutal underbelly

“Winter’s Bone,” a grim portrait of desperation, is far from what you’d expect for a feel-good flick. 

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), age 17, has a father who cooks crystal meth.
When a bondsman tells Ree that her father used the deed to their home to pay his bail, she sets off to look for him, fearing that her already struggling family will be left homeless. 

Her father’s associates are cold, desperate and disturbingly recognizable. The America shown in this film is the America we like to forget, where the rare acts of kindness are just as brutal as the more plentiful cruelty.

Every actor in this movie gives a chillingly convincing performance, and the writing is powerful, reinforced by a deftly matched soundtrack. As this grippingly real film unfolds, viewers are reminded how truly lucky they are not to have these experiences. 

Although it avoids the beaten path for feel-good movies, it succeeds in simultaneously arousing sympathy for Ree and her family while making viewers elated to not be in their shoes.