Winter's Bone

This recent American indie is exactly the kind of film that should be coming out America; a credit to everyone involved, a great shot of well directed, imagined, explored and artfully placed narrative.
The director (Debra Granik) looks set for an excellent career. The direction is largely of the close-up/reverse etc etc variety for dialogue, which is perfuntory and O.K., but around the edges of this lies a clear visual sense. She has a sense of balance, of the blealness of the landscape as well as a kind of beauty. Particularly early on we have a number of longer shots inclding dialogue. These are simply very well set up, with a great use of widescreen for panorama, with a great sense of distance, and terrific framing of the actors within the landscape. Examples would the washed out car that unobtrusively seems to leer, the one character in an entirely different colour frame from the other, distances accentuated by dark sheds or the protection of intermediary dogs. Granik also deserves credit for a great ability with incidentals; it is simply good awarness to have Ree a few steps behind Teardrop, or to give little instructions to the kids. She largely shows good discipline in the hardcore identification which this film is really all about.
The interesting story (adapted) is excellently told, pretty well paced. We have our establishing, which is the most interesting part visually, and the story builds up at a nice speed. The xtraneous stuff, that is the characterisation-led army bits, do not intrude on a film that is largely narrative (fair enough, if that's what it wants to be, at least do it properly, which it does well), instead it adds depth as intended. The film does turn very dialoguey, close ups in cars and rooms, lots of conversations, but, hey, it's a narrative piece, and it does grip.
The interesting intrusion of the macabre has to put this in the southern gothic category, it is done well. Not the overheated romantic kind, this is a new Southern Gothic of a cold desolation that has to face something, the human body, that is alien to it. Watch in conjuntion with the excellent excellent excellent 'White Lightnin'' from last year and you get a good idea of two ways of showing this same idea; this low key, the other more dialled up. The music teeters on a knife edge of whimsy, but in the end avoids disruption and, apart from maybe one too many 'looms', the country works well as a kind of idiotic accompaniement, out of contaxt but oddly in.
The supporting cast are excellent, the kids aren't annoying, everyone is believable and avoids cliche. But this film is all about the central performance of Jennifer Lawrence. It is first, first, first rate. In a narrative piece she is given the opportunity with a lot of camera time and she takes it, building in deep characterisation through a reticence. It's always the tiny things; a little moment of insolence, a tiny out of place expression. She underpowers is seemingly, but through this is excellent. No emotional crescendos here; just superb concentration on character, a great contintuity across. Give her every prize, and when she's a star let the woman act.
This film isn't perfect, it is a director's first film; their is a dodgy montage, bit sof dialogue occassionally are forced out the actors mouth, as we said it gets a bit talky.
Overall though, this is a most terrific film. Huge credit to Granik and Lawrence, major credit to everyone else. See it see it see it.