Winter's Bone
First screened in June 2010 / Most recently screened in January 2019
Director: Debra Granik. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Shelley Waggener, Cody Brown, Kevin Breznahan, Cinnamon Schultz, Sheryl Lee, Casey MacLaren, Ronnie Hall, Brandon Gray, Tate Taylor, Valerie Richards, Isaiah Stone, Ashlee Thompson. Screenplay: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini (based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell).

 Twitter Capsule: (2010) Camera superbly placed. Strong sound, editing. Good acting. But belief matters, and I never really believed it.

Second Capsule: (2019) Authentic and affected: an uneasy blend. Sturdy and sometimes bold with form and mythic structure. Hawkes nails it.

VOR: ⑤  Reaches for the sky, and the bottom of the river. Idiom doesn't convince in every way but lensing, cast, conviction do. Ambitious but wholly accessible.


Photo © 2010 Roadside Attractions/Anonymous Content

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B+

(in June 2010: B)
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence
Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes
Best Adapted Screenplay: Anne Rosellini and Debra Granik

Golden Globe Nominations:
Best Actress (Drama): Jennifer Lawrence

Other Awards:
Berlin Film Festival: CICAE Award (Forum Section); Reader Jury Prize of the Tagesspiegel
Sundance Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic); Best Screenplay
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Dickey); Best Supporting Actor (Hawkes)
Chicago Film Critics Association: Most Promising Performer (Lawrence)
National Board of Review: Breakthrough Performance (Lawrence)
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