SXSW Film Preview: Winter's Bone

In the hustle and bustle of SXSW, with the long hours standing in lines and the late night revelry, it’s easy to lose sight of one of the most important aspects of making a great film: the storytelling. No, not the Todd Solondz movie (although good guess—you are a movie nerd!) or that thing you told that door guy to get in to that sold out show. We’re talking about the kind of tale that picks you up out of your chair and transports you into an alternate world where all you care about is seeing what happens next.

A good story can make or break a film. It can look great, sound great, the actors can be perfect, but if there’s not an interesting plot, those are the things you’re noticing, and you’ll never actually care what happens in the end. When director Debra Granik (Down to the Bone) decided to adapt this gritty backwoods novel by Daniel Woodrell, you can bet she knew she had a good story on her hands. But what she did with that novel brings it to life in new ways.

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) may not look like Dog the Bounty Hunter, but when it comes to tracking down a fugitive from justice, she aims to get her man. Especially when that fugitive is her ne’er-do-well father, and what’s at stake is her home. Now that he’s disappeared, Ree has become the de-facto caretaker for her mentally ill mother and two siblings, and she’ll be damned if she’s going to let them lose their home. The quest for her father is on.

Set in the rough country of the Ozark mountains, this moody drama captures the country life in a way most movies never do. Granik keeps it feeling authentic while never letting you forget just what kind of a world you’ve entered—there are no yokels in overalls, but the rural dread and despair that permeates Ree’s lifestyle (where joining the military would be a welcome respite)—permeates every frame.

Winter’s Bone brought home both the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance this year, and Lawrence’s performance was hailed as a breakthrough, one of the highlights of the festival. And as everyone knows, a good story and a powerful performance—well, that’s what makes a movie great.

Winter’s Bone plays Sunday, March 14 at 4:15 PM and Wednesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM at the Alamo Lamar 2. For the full schedule, see my.SXSW or B-Side.