Winter's Bone is a hard movie to judge because it is a hard movie in general. This movie has a potential of being great, hitting very real problems that are seen everywhere and not just a rural red-neck town. It opens to the life of 17 year old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) who has been put in the harsh position of taking care of her younger siblings and her insane mother. Her father is a Meth pharmacist and is being tried in court, but no one has heard from him. With him not showing up for his court date Ree could lose her house and her land and eventually her already broken family. It is Ree's quest to find her father, and she is running out of options.

The desperate, melancholy-teen roll Jenifer Lawrence portrayed could not have been so well preformed by a different actress. However, that seems to be the only thing had held up in this movie. It was confusing at times, some characters would be kind at one point and then turn around and be cruel. It confirmed the stereotype that people living in rural places like Ozarks are underdeveloped and harsh with the “i dont give a damn” mind set. The movie got to a point where interest was lost. Every scene was the same melancholy, cloudy cold feel to it without a single bit of comic relief. Throughout the whole movie, even until the end it continued to be a sad story of a troubled girl.

The movie had a clear intention of making the watcher want to feel a sense of sorrow. It was to show the ups and down of family and holding on to what you love. Yet I don't think this movie gets the message across because of its confusing mood. The Tone is always anger or sadness and without more variety it is hard to believe. In all, this was a dull and bleak movie that did not accomplish what it was set out to do.