Rating:  

Anonymous Content, Winter’s Bone Productions, and Roadside Attractions.

Written by: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on the novel “Winter’s Bone” by Daniel Woodrell.

A stunning and mesmerizing performance by relative newcomer Jennifer Lawrence is one reason to watch this affecting and powerful indie film. The other is its engrossing mood, atmosphere, and unflinching look at the impoverished Ozark Mountain drug culture that Lawrence’s character, Ree, finds herself living in. When her father goes missing, Ree, age 17, learns that the family farm is about to be foreclosed upon. With her depressed mother nearly catatonic, Ree is the primary caretaker for her younger siblings, but must set out through the homesteads and farms around her, averting danger at every turn, to find out where he has disappeared to. “Winter’s Bone” is captivating and unsettling, and features one of the most well-written female characters of recent years.

Should I See It?

An engrossing and at times fascinating drama, which features a star-making performance from Jennifer Lawrence and searing supporting work from a cast of actors who feel as authentic to the setting as any ensemble of recent memory.

The film’s bleak premise and raw, unpolished look makes the film unsettling and quite intense.