On the surface, Winter’s Bone has a lot going for it. The performances are strong, the characters are interesting, and the setting is grim, stark, and compelling, yet the movie left me cold. It’s bleak and depressing, and after a while, quite boring. The fine acting deserves a mention though. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as the lead Rae Dolly, a 17 year old living in extreme poverty in the rural Ozark Mountains. Her Dad has skipped on his bail and now the family home is up for grabs unless her father can be tracked down.
Winter’s Bone follows Rae as she …