Jennifer Lawrence really is a great actress, and her
performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” is wonderful. Even in “The Hunger
Games” she gives a quiet, reserved character so much emotion without even
speaking. Without her that film would have been another young adult love
saga. My only issue with “The
Hunger Games” is that the film created so many Jennifer Lawrence fans who, when
posed with the question, “Have you seen Winter’s Bone?” respond with a look I’d
imagine one would have if they were asked who the 23rd president was. Benjamin
who? So, while I’m glad she’s being appreciated, I don’t believe if you’re over
the age of 16, you should be able to call yourself a fan of hers until you’ve
seen “Winter’s Bone.”
“Winter’s Bone” is a phenomenal movie about a young girl
(Jennifer Lawrence) whose home is going to be taken away when her drug-dealer
father fails to show up to court. She has to find him, dead or alive, in order
to save her home and keep her younger siblings in her care. As I’ve said
before, Jennifer Lawrence is great in this film but John Hawkes is also in this
movie, and if you don’t know who he is I recommend finding out. He’s an
outstanding actor who’s yet to receive the appreciation he deserves.
The film deals a lot with the stress of family and what one
person will go through in order to keep the people they love safe. It’s not a
nice film, it’s gritty and raw, but it has so much heart and a great depth of
character.
There’s a long-standing belief that women only want to watch
films that involve romance. So today it’s rare to come across a film with a
female lead that doesn’t include a prince, charming or alarming, or some sort
of heart-wrenching breakup. It’s not inaccurate to assume women are drawn to
romance, because we are; for a lot of women dating is a big part of their
lives. However, women are not one-dimensional. Just like men are not only
interested in guns and explosions, women have their layers and should have more
films that express them.
This film was directed by Debra Granik and written by Anna
Rosellini based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell. “Winter’s Bone” not only goes
against the norm in its female driven, non-romcom plot, but also by having a
female director. Usually films of a violent nature are associated with men,
even if a woman is the lead character. However, directors like Granik and
Kathryn Bigelow are changing that. Bigelow especially is ever so modestly
changing the industries view of women.
If you have Netflix Instant you can watch this film anytime,
if you don’t I recommend finding a way to rent it. It’s not a great film made
by women, it’s just a great film.
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