"Winter's Bone"

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[00:01:01] in.

[00:01:02] We took it all.

[00:01:09] We brought them to this night, amber hot and icy cold, the rage of the earth.

[00:01:19] We made this curse.

[00:01:20] Carved it in the blood on our backs.

[00:01:24] We did not see.

[00:01:26] We could not, but she did.

[00:01:27] And in the end...

[00:01:28] What will I become?

[00:01:29] Senua's Saga, Hellblade 2.

[00:01:34] Play it now with Game Pass.

[00:01:36] Way down in Missouri where I heard this melody.

[00:01:43] The old folks were humming.

[00:01:46] The banjos were strumming.

[00:01:49] So sweet and low.

[00:01:51] You are listening to the Next Best Picture podcast.

[00:01:53] And this is our review of Winter's Bone.

[00:01:57] Like Sutterfield, they want bonds.

[00:02:00] What is it you want?

[00:02:01] We hold the bond on Jessup Dolly.

[00:02:02] He didn't show for court.

[00:02:04] That ain't no run.

[00:02:06] Jessup signed over everything.

[00:02:08] If he doesn't show at trial, see, the way the deal works is y'all gonna lose his house

[00:02:13] here.

[00:02:14] You got some place to go?

[00:02:17] I'll find him.

[00:02:18] Girl, I've been looking.

[00:02:19] I said I'll find him.

[00:02:20] He said he'll always be out here hunting Jessup.

[00:02:23] You know where he's at?

[00:02:24] I wouldn't tell him nothing if I did.

[00:02:26] Alright everybody, you were just listening to the trailer for Winter's Bone and the story

[00:02:33] is as follows.

[00:02:35] Faced with an unresponsive mother and a criminal father, Ozark teenager Ree Dolly does what

[00:02:41] she can to manage the household and take care of her two younger siblings.

[00:02:45] Informed by the sheriff that their father put their home up for bond and then disappeared,

[00:02:50] Ree sets out on a dangerous quest to find him.

[00:02:54] Her entire family's fate now is in her hands.

[00:02:57] Ree challenges her outlaw kin's code of silence and risks her life to learn her father's fate.

[00:03:04] The film is starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawks, Kevin Bresnahan, Dale Dickey, Garrett

[00:03:12] Dillahunt, Cheryl Lee, and Tate Taylor.

[00:03:16] It is written and directed by Deborah Granick and co-written by Anne Rossellini.

[00:03:21] Here to join me today for this throwback Patreon podcast review, I have Emma Sasek.

[00:03:27] Hey everybody.

[00:03:29] Alyssa Christian.

[00:03:30] Hello everyone.

[00:03:31] Lauren LaMagna.

[00:03:32] Hello.

[00:03:33] Dan Baer.

[00:03:34] Hello, got my squirrel stew cooking.

[00:03:39] Danilo Castro.

[00:03:40] Hey everybody.

[00:03:42] And Will Mavity.

[00:03:43] Way down in Missouri, wherever.

[00:03:44] How does it go?

[00:03:45] It's a good song.

[00:03:46] It's been stuck in my head for like 15 years because of this movie.

[00:03:52] I thought you were doing a pretty good job as is, not going to lie.

[00:03:55] Thank you.

[00:03:56] Thank you.

[00:03:57] All right.

[00:03:58] So Winter's Bone had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival where it received

[00:04:04] the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic film.

[00:04:09] It went on to receive four Oscar nominations for best picture, adapted screenplay, actress

[00:04:13] in a leading role, and best supporting actor.

[00:04:17] It was the critical indie darling of 2010.

[00:04:22] Ended up actually grossing pretty well compared to its budget as well.

[00:04:26] $16 million against a budget of two.

[00:04:29] Not two dollars, two million for the record.

[00:04:32] Overall this was an out and out success and also catapulted Jennifer Lawrence to the next

[00:04:37] stage of her career which would eventually lead to the release of The Hunger Games and

[00:04:44] a lot of others to follow including an Oscar a few years later for Silver Lenning's playbook.

[00:04:51] This also brought notoriety to a couple of character actors as well and I would argue

[00:04:56] made Deborah Granik a household name.

[00:04:59] Something that I feel that the industry has still yet to recognize but we all recognize

[00:05:04] her as a household name at least.

[00:05:07] We'll see if those opportunities keep coming to her in the years to come.

[00:05:11] But all these years later, how does Winter's Bone still hold up for us?

[00:05:16] We're going to toss it over first to...

[00:05:20] Let's go over to Alyssa Christian.

[00:05:22] Alyssa, what did you think of Winter's Bone?

[00:05:24] Yeah, so I remember watching this movie in theaters when it was released way back in

[00:05:28] 2010 and I was really blown away by Jennifer Lawrence's performance.

[00:05:34] I'd obviously never seen her in anything else before but I'd heard how amazing and

[00:05:39] revelatory her performance was so I think that's what originally drew me to the movie.

[00:05:45] And then I think that my recent rewatch that I did for this podcast was the first time

[00:05:50] I'd seen it since the release so it's been a while.

[00:05:54] And that's probably because it's not exactly an easy watch.

[00:05:59] But during my rewatch, I was definitely blown away again by her performance and really the

[00:06:04] depth and maturity that she brought to the role.

[00:06:07] But I was also really fascinated with the really detailed, authentic depictions of

[00:06:13] poverty that takes place in a part of the country that I'm not really familiar with.

[00:06:18] And you know, it's a very specific story.

[00:06:21] It does take place over a relatively short period of time but I still found it to be

[00:06:27] very impactful and really eye-opening.

[00:06:30] I would call it a thriller but there's not really a major plot twist or anything like

[00:06:34] that but it's still really captivating all these years later.

[00:06:37] I will say that I'm not a fan of the squirrel scene because, you know, I'm an animal lover

[00:06:42] but other than that, great movie.

[00:06:44] Alright, okay.

[00:06:47] Let's hear next now from Danilo Castro.

[00:06:50] I was kind of late to the game with this one.

[00:06:52] I think I saw it a couple years after it came out.

[00:06:54] It was post Hunger Games.

[00:06:56] I was sort of backtracking and doing my Jennifer Lawrence homework and I was really impressed

[00:07:01] by it.

[00:07:02] I remember thinking, you know, like totally worth all the praise and the nominations that

[00:07:06] I got from different awards bodies.

[00:07:09] And like Alyssa said, it's not the easiest, most like casual rewatch so I haven't gone

[00:07:14] back to it since that initial viewing.

[00:07:16] This was always, you know, a great excuse to go back and sort of assess and I was pleased

[00:07:22] to say that it held up for the most part.

[00:07:24] It is a detective story but it is one that functions simultaneously as a very strong

[00:07:30] like human drama which it can be tricky to thread the needle between those two things

[00:07:35] a lot.

[00:07:36] Usually one goes at the sacrifice of the other.

[00:07:40] It is a great central performance.

[00:07:43] It is a great supporting cast.

[00:07:46] There are a couple things I will say, looking at it more critically, that I'm not as much

[00:07:52] of a fan of, I would say in terms of structure and presentation but we'll get into it more

[00:07:57] specifically.

[00:07:58] It holds up for the most part not flawless as most of these movies that we kind of look

[00:08:05] back on.

[00:08:06] But yeah, no, Winter's Bone is excellent.

[00:08:07] It is definitely not overrated by any stretch of the imagination.

[00:08:12] All right.

[00:08:14] Let's hear now from Lauren LaMagna.

[00:08:17] I've been kind of dreading telling my Winter's Bone story because the way I came into this

[00:08:23] was through Jennifer Lawrence.

[00:08:25] I was a preteen and I found out that the Hunger Games had cast its three leads and I knew

[00:08:33] who the two men were.

[00:08:34] I did not know who Jennifer Lawrence was.

[00:08:37] So being, you know, a preteen, you know, who's in the midst of Twilight mania and was about

[00:08:42] to see one of my beloved heroines adapted, I nosedived into this woman's career because

[00:08:47] I just wanted to know if she could handle Katniss or if we were placing her in the right

[00:08:52] hand.

[00:08:53] So out of all those films, Winter's Bone was obviously the big one because it got her the

[00:08:57] Oscar nomination and it honestly may have been my least favorite film of her filmography

[00:09:04] at that point in time.

[00:09:06] Again, I was like 12 or 13 and I think I watched it on like my little iPhone at the time.

[00:09:12] So I'm really glad that we have this podcast review as an excuse for me to come back to

[00:09:17] this film with a fully developed brain and a critical lens and just critical thinking

[00:09:22] skills so I can engage with this piece because I thought it was so much better than what

[00:09:27] my prepubescent mind thought.

[00:09:30] I think the tone of this film is so strong and it never lets up throughout the entire

[00:09:36] film.

[00:09:37] I still think Lawrence is giving a great performance, but I was really taken aback by the supporting

[00:09:43] players of this film and we'll talk about them later.

[00:09:46] But what I really loved about this film at this time around is, you know, the depiction

[00:09:52] of its setting and the character of its setting, how it's violent and nurturing at the same

[00:09:58] time to its inhabitants and just the animalistic instinct of what family is and how family

[00:10:05] is such a central focus of this film and how it can nurture and protect and hate and destroy

[00:10:12] at the same time.

[00:10:13] And even though you hate, you know, a certain person at the end of the day, it comes down

[00:10:19] to blood.

[00:10:20] So it kind of becomes, you know, any good Western or gangster flick where it's about,

[00:10:26] you know, who's on my side, who's on your side.

[00:10:28] And I don't care if I like you or if I love you, if you're not my blood, I can't protect

[00:10:32] you.

[00:10:33] So I really loved that type of story in this setting.

[00:10:38] And I think it was, you know, directed flawlessly.

[00:10:40] Yeah, the old saying blood is thicker than water definitely applies to this movie for

[00:10:45] sure.

[00:10:46] Mm hmm.

[00:10:47] All right.

[00:10:48] And let's hear next now from Dan Bear.

[00:10:52] Yeah, I loved this movie in 2010.

[00:10:56] I saw it in Catching Up With Movies after the Oscar nominations came out.

[00:11:01] I had missed it when it was in its original release in theaters, but was very excited

[00:11:08] to catch up with it and instantly fell in love with everything about it.

[00:11:14] I loved the texture that the Begranic brought to the film and thought Jennifer Lawrence

[00:11:21] was just superb, as was frankly the entire supporting cast, but especially Dale Dickey

[00:11:28] and John Hawks, who just flesh out that world and the philosophy of these people so well

[00:11:39] and in such really interesting dynamic ways.

[00:11:42] I was so taken with just the milieu that they created for this movie.

[00:11:49] And it is one of the very few literary adaptations that feels like it was adapting a novel, but

[00:12:00] also at the same time feels like it was developed specifically as a film.

[00:12:06] There is something that is uniquely cinematic about it, but also parts of it that are extremely

[00:12:14] novelistic, how it takes a holistic view of Ree's life and the life of her younger siblings

[00:12:22] and her mother and all these people around them.

[00:12:26] I was fascinated by it then.

[00:12:28] I'm slightly less fascinated by it now, but I'm still very entertained by it.

[00:12:34] Jennifer Lawrence just absolutely kills me in this role.

[00:12:38] There is so much that her character has to go through, and she is so natural throughout.

[00:12:48] I have a bit of a bizarre theory on her career related to this movie, but I'll save that

[00:12:54] for later, maybe, if we get into it.

[00:12:59] But yeah, I loved this movie then.

[00:13:02] I love it just as much now.

[00:13:03] It holds up really well.

[00:13:33] Play it now with Game Pass.

[00:13:35] Okay, Emma Sassick, on to you.

[00:13:39] Well, I've been a Jennifer Lawrence girly for a long, long time because I too was a

[00:13:44] big Hunger Games girl.

[00:13:47] So I visited this film a bit after I was introduced to Wilderness Katniss, that era of Jennifer

[00:13:54] Lawrence's career.

[00:13:57] Especially on this rewatch, I was just so impressed with how she just solidified herself

[00:14:04] and showed that she is a up-and-coming actor at that time in her career who is one to not

[00:14:12] be messed with, who is one to be taken seriously in whatever role she may be in.

[00:14:18] I mean, she blew me away in this film when I watched it way back when, and I really,

[00:14:23] really enjoyed seeing her in this film, on this rewatch.

[00:14:27] She's just so grounded in this role.

[00:14:30] And I remember a friend was telling me that she is from Kentucky and he used to live in

[00:14:37] Kentucky for some time, and he just said she just looks like somebody who's from that era.

[00:14:42] And so she just very naturally fits into the climate of this area and the coldness that

[00:14:51] the Ozarks have.

[00:14:54] And I grew up in the Midwest, so I very much know about the Ozarks and a little bit how

[00:15:00] scary they may be in some areas.

[00:15:04] But I do appreciate that we see them in this film.

[00:15:08] And as Lauren was mentioning earlier, that this type of poverty is portrayed in this

[00:15:14] film.

[00:15:15] Very rarely do we see that in films.

[00:15:18] And so I think it just gives a fairly honest depiction, I would say, of that region of

[00:15:24] the country that really doesn't get much of a spotlight.

[00:15:29] And the supporting players, as it's been said already by the people on this podcast, they

[00:15:35] are just fantastic.

[00:15:37] And they bring to life the eccentricities and the toughness of this area that I think

[00:15:45] this is such a well-rounded film in so many of its aspects from the writing, the directing,

[00:15:51] the acting, etc.

[00:15:53] So I really enjoyed getting to go back into this world this time around.

[00:15:58] All right.

[00:15:59] And last but certainly not least, Will Mavity.

[00:16:02] This was my first introduction to Jennifer Lawrence.

[00:16:05] I saw it back when it was in theaters back in 2010.

[00:16:08] I was a fan then.

[00:16:10] I'm a fan now.

[00:16:11] I will say, I loved that Best Picture lineup that year.

[00:16:16] And at the time, Winter's Bone was probably in number 10 for personal preference for me.

[00:16:27] I think things have shifted since then, because some of those films have aged better than

[00:16:32] others.

[00:16:34] But I do think it is just a meticulously crafted, written and acted movie.

[00:16:40] I think the characters are very fascinating, and it's a really authentic portal into that

[00:16:46] world.

[00:16:47] But I do kind of disagree with, I think it was Danilo...

[00:16:51] Yeah, I think it was Danilo earlier who mentioned that usually either the mystery or the characters

[00:16:59] suffer.

[00:17:01] In this case, I thought the atmosphere and the characters were very compelling.

[00:17:07] I generally did not find the mystery at the film's center to be equally as interesting.

[00:17:16] And that's okay, but it was the only thing that held me back a little bit.

[00:17:22] And I think on a second watch, it loses some of the, oh, I've never seen this before, impact

[00:17:29] that the film had on the first viewing.

[00:17:31] That being said, it's very nuanced writing.

[00:17:36] There's a reason Jennifer Lawrence became a star from this.

[00:17:39] And I eternally wish we had more John Hawks, because I was used to him from kind of a,

[00:17:44] I don't want to say goofy, but kind of a lighthearted role from the show Deadwood.

[00:17:49] And this was quite a change of pace for him.

[00:17:53] He's a very menacing character who also has some warmth and depth there.

[00:17:58] And then, yes, she's kind of doing the same character she did in Breaking Bad.

[00:18:04] But Dale Dickey is so good in this as one of these just mean Ozark women.

[00:18:12] And it's the kind of thing where, you know, 14 years later, I was shocked how well I remembered

[00:18:19] this movie.

[00:18:20] And so I think it's had a lot more staying power than some of the other nominees that

[00:18:26] year.

[00:18:27] So it still doesn't quite work as a thriller for me, but I do think it is a excellent and

[00:18:34] very well crafted and thoughtful film.

[00:18:36] Man, Will stole my thunder.

[00:18:39] I have very similar thoughts, actually.

[00:18:43] I remember being quite captivated by this movie when I saw it in 2010, largely in part

[00:18:48] due to its atmosphere, the literary qualities of the characters and the setting and also

[00:18:55] just the episodic nature of going from character to character and an escalation of tension

[00:19:01] throughout wondering how is this all going to resolve itself?

[00:19:06] I too will admit that on the rewatch, some of that mystery, if you will, was definitely

[00:19:12] lost for me.

[00:19:14] And the ending reveal, as horrific as it might be for the character, Rhi, for me just felt

[00:19:22] pretty tame this time around.

[00:19:24] And I almost feel like the movie is building to something even more foreboding and menacing

[00:19:33] than what this movie delivers.

[00:19:35] And so in that regard, it kind of feels like a bit of a letdown this time around.

[00:19:39] But I do think that the craft of the writing and the creation of this atmosphere through

[00:19:46] this striking cinematography is still something that I find to be particularly beautiful to

[00:19:54] look at and to get lost in because it is a part of the country that honestly, like I've

[00:19:59] never seen with my own eyes.

[00:20:01] I've never traveled out there and seen the Ozarks before.

[00:20:05] I've only ever seen them depicted in media.

[00:20:07] So in a way, this movie kind of has this almost otherworldly type of feel.

[00:20:14] It almost feels like it's post-apocalyptic at times with how much everything is just

[00:20:19] run down and rusty and there's leaves everywhere.

[00:20:23] And it just has this quality to it that just doesn't feel natural.

[00:20:28] But at the same time, there is such humanity in these characters and depth for them, which

[00:20:34] allows for some really great performances.

[00:20:36] So not as strong as I remember, but still pretty strong regardless of which I was quite

[00:20:43] glad to revisit it for this retrospective.

[00:20:48] So kind of kicking off with that, let's first and foremost talk about the film's major star,

[00:20:54] Jennifer Lawrence.

[00:20:55] I know a lot of us touched upon her in our opening thoughts here, but I think for me,

[00:21:00] just to kind of kick us off on her work, I think the reason why this still holds up as

[00:21:05] a great performance, and I think we all kind of recognized it then, if this was your first

[00:21:11] introduction to her and you did not know who she was from talk shows or from any other

[00:21:16] roles, you could be mistaken for thinking that this is her personality and this is

[00:21:23] one of those performances where it's not requiring her to stretch.

[00:21:29] But if you do know her personality and you have seen her in other roles, you'll know

[00:21:33] that this is probably very hard for her to do because she is such an outgoing, lively,

[00:21:39] bubbly person.

[00:21:40] And so if anything, for me, when I watch her in this, it almost reminds me of Gabourey

[00:21:45] Sibideh from the year before in Precious, where that performance is so unlike who she

[00:21:51] is in regular everyday life.

[00:21:54] And that just makes it all the more impressive to me.

[00:21:57] I agree.

[00:21:58] I was actually thinking about, I was thinking about like the Hunger Games press tour and

[00:22:03] how we had like, where's the pizza?

[00:22:05] Like just her being so ridiculous in every single video and interview that I saw.

[00:22:11] And it continues to this day.

[00:22:12] So I mean, I love a woman with range and that is exactly what she has.

[00:22:18] Hey everyone, sorry to interrupt but this is a fun review.

[00:22:29] You will have to head on over to Next Best Pictures Patreon where for $1 minimum a month

[00:22:34] you'll get the rest of this review and other exclusive podcast content from us as well.

[00:22:40] You have been listening to the Next Best Picture podcast.

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[00:22:51] We really appreciate your feedback and your support.

[00:22:54] Thank you all so much for listening as always, and we will see you all next time.

[00:22:59] Hey there, I'm Hannah and I'm Audrey.

[00:23:44] We are a sister filmmaking duo and co host of Sleepover Cinema, our show where we analyze

[00:23:51] the films that created the collective unconscious of the girls, gays, and theys of the late

[00:23:56] 90s and early 2000s.

[00:23:58] Princess Diaries, The Cheetah Girls, Aquamarine, Cinderella, The One Starring Brandy.

[00:24:03] We haven't stopped thinking about these movies since we first saw them and we want you to

[00:24:07] rewatch them and review them with us.

[00:24:10] Are these movies as bad as critics would have us believe?

[00:24:13] Do we even care if they are?

[00:24:15] We are always unpacking that very question on Sleepover Cinema.

[00:24:20] Check out Sleepover Cinema wherever you get your podcasts or at evergreenpodcast.com.

[00:24:25] See you soon!