What We're Watching: Jan

Winter's Bone

Directed by Debra Granik. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes.

This 2011 Oscar nominee for Best Picture tells the story of family being held together in the midst of disappointment and danger but also strength and resilience. The backdrop is the Missouri Ozark Mountains, home to the Dolly family. It is a bleak and gray environment of hardship. The 17-year-old daughter, Ree, takes care of her mentally ill mother and two young siblings with the aid of welfare and the generosity of neighbors. She finds out that her father, a meth dealer, has jumped bail and put the family house, poor as it is, up as bond. If he can’t be found, the house will be lost. Ree decides that will not happen and sets out to find her father amid the criminal element of the meth world and family members in the mountains who don’t want their secrets exposed. The determination of Ree and her search creates a great deal of suspense and exposes the viewer to the pervasive feeling that violence can come at any turn. The film is gritty and in-your-face, all the while showing courage and heart. We learn that this mountain girl has her own dreams but will sacrifice all to hang on to her home and family - family who survive due to her toughness and love.