Review

Rapp Sheet — 6-17-10: Shot in southern Missouri, award-winning film screens locally again

"Winter's Bone" follows the story of Ree Dolly (center, played by Jennifer Lawrence) and her brother and sister, who face homelessness because of the meth-amphetamine addiction of their father, and face the paranoia and insularity of the meth-using community when they venture out to find some answers. The film begins screening in Kansas City June 18. Photo: Sebastian Mlynarski, courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Following a Grand Jury Prize win at the Sundance® Film Festival, Winter's Bone saw a a stellar area premiere in the Kansas City FilmFest. Roadside Attractions Distribution releases the independent film nationwide beginning June 18 at the Tivoli Cinemas. If you haven't had a chance to see it (and you may not have, as all screenings in KCFF quickly sold out), make sure to treat yourself to this work of mythic, poetic beauty at first chance. It is safe to say if you're looking for the same experience you might have in Get Him To The Greek, you will not find it here, except to say that you will be moved. It is safer to say that the indelible images, text and performance at work in Winter's Bone will evoke deep-rooted discussion and reflection, way past a star-cast popcorn comedy offering, as is obviously the intent of filmmaker Debra Granik.

Winter's Bone is based on the novel of the same name by novelist Daniel Woodrell, who currently resides in the Missouri Ozarks. His work has been called "country noir" and often contains elements of crime and intrigue. Granik, who has a penchant for staying loyal to original material, masterfully captures the tone of the novel in her lovely and loyal adaptation. The film was shot entirely in southern Missouri with unknown actors. This will not be the case long. Starting with the riveting protagonist Ree Dolly, played by surely-not-unknown-for-much-longer newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, the film is rife with subdued and dead-on performances that almost makes you think you're watching a documentary.

Ree Dolly, played by Jennifer Lawrence, searches for her father in a meth-riddled rural community. Photo: Sebastian Mlynarski, courtesy of Roadside Attractions

When Ree finds herself facing homelessness, she embarks upon an odyssey to locate her infamous father — or at least evidence of his remains — in an insular, hooded community of meth-makers and takers, where the only law that governs is their own. Even the cops wilt before the social hierarchy that prevails in this surreal world. So when one of their "kin" starts asking questions and threatens to unravel their power base, Ree finds herself in a dangerous ground of few friends and fewer answers. Adding to her woes, Ree also has the default responsibility of caring for her younger brother and sister, left to fend for themselves by a vegetative-state mother.

From the opening sequence of children on a trampoline against a bleak, chalk-hued world and a lilting backwoods lullaby, we know we are in for something profound, honest and indelible. Michael McDonough's inspired lensing and Granik's obvious focus and attention to the most minute of details lets us know we are in good hands, in a film that stays riveting, shocking and purposeful at all times. The look, sounds and tone of the film at once speak to a homage to an unflinching international sensibility.

"Michael and I shared a mentor from film school, director Boris Frumin, who hails from Moscow Film School and showed us a huge amount of Russian and Eastern European films throughout our entire film education." says Granik.  "At one point I remember him slapping his desk in despair and saying, 'I've shown you all these rich kinds of ways that filmmakers of the past have depicted their inner consciousness of a character without using voice-over. Something that's bothering them, or haunting them, or important to them. Why aren't there dream sequences anymore in films?' Then he intenly stared us all in the eyes and said, 'Who among you in the next ten years will do a dream sequence?' So, while in the Ozarks we acquired all this imagery of natural surroundings that we couldn't use in the main narrative of the film, and we wondered about a final or opening sequence that might use this beautiful footage. So as we kept thinking about this imagery we imagined trying to endeavor a powerful dream sequence. So I always have to reference Boris, because he was very important in my filmmaking evolution."

Actress Lauren Sweetster as Ree's friend, Gail, in "Winter's Bone." Photo: Sebastian Mlynarski, courtesy of Roadside Attractions

In many ways, the rapid success of this 'little film that can'  is what every independent filmmaker would dream of. But Granik vows to remain true to her vision of her own production company she now runs with producer and co-writer Anne Rosellini: "The success of this film doesn't change what I want to do next," says Granik. "Might I experience a very large pressure to earn a living wage, it would be to fund the more scrappy, handmade micro-production company — which is right now me and Anne. We would love to have full-time overhead here. We're still running to the copy place ourselves!"

"I get real stubborn about about the survival of scrappy filmmakers," adds Granik. "I remember there was a filmmaker I used to admire so much, because he made his first film years ago over the course of 19 weekends in New Jersey. But even if you have the spirit for that, the reality is, I can't call the DP I've known all my working life and now say, 'Hey, can you do my next film over the course of several consecutive weekends for next-to-nothing?' So, I respect the fighting spirit, but it's nearly impossible to execute. The reality is, small films have to be able to recoup."

Debutante actress Jennifer Lawrence (center) as Ree Dolly with her siblings on the set of "Winter's Bone." Photo: Sebastian Mlynarski, courtesy of Roadside Attractions

When one sees the subtle, seasoned performance of Jennifer Lawrence, one is seeing Ree Dolly — not an actor portraying a character. Lawrence's work reminds us of Ashley Judd's first real spotlight, Ruby In Paradise, and Lawrence will no doubt will gain international attention from this film. Granik likes it this way, and notes some of the pitfalls associated with fame: "I always want to work with those who aren't necessarily recognized. I find it overwhelming to be involved in the agent and legal driven landscape of what it means to work with 'financable' talent. Wrestling with that is beyond my sphere of comfort. So, for me, I can't imagine working with an actor who is simply showing up because of a paycheck and feeling ambivalent about their characters or the story. People who have had a huge amount of experience or celebrity can in certain cases be jaded, and that is sometimes an obstacle for them. So, it's very important for me to make films with the idea of discovering new talent. That's a noble and interesting pursuit."

Like any independent film with (again, so far) unknowns in the cast, Winter's Bone faces the usual hard climb to get the recognition it deserves. Certainly a Grand Jury nod at Sundance® has helped get it this far, but Granik is "realistically optimistic" about the future.

Director Debra Granik working on the set of "Winter's Bone." Image: courtesy of the director

"It's never a sure bet," says Granik. "Strong reviews can come in, which is always incredibly exciting, and a relief, and it's always an amazing feeling to be supported... and yet it doesn't guarantee people in the seats. So this is the kind of thing where if a small film made on a tier one union budget can't see its way to a life, it makes independent filmmaking seem not just arduous, but untenable. And that's a sad thing, because it means there's less film biodiversity as a result. Filmmakers will literally stick to a couple of coastal, overused metropolises as a setting. And mostly safe subject matters have been explored. We've had a lot of internal cultural censorship in the last couple years, where dramas were not considered viable. Then, this idea of repeating films that have already been made, and let's not forget all the sequels. We are more concerned with literally selling a product with attachments, and branding these, instead of celebrating and supporting the art of filmmaking in this country."

"At Sundance we weren't at all sure of what would happen — the fate of the film – because it's very easy for people to say, 'It's a drama, or it's unsellable, or it's about poor people – people with limited resources — not appealing, what have you. 'Poor' is four letter word and so is 'dark' when trying to sell your film. 'Violence,' obviously, is not a four-letter word, both literally and figuratively, to most buyers … so these were the hurdles we faced. You need the bravest distributors to show up. In this case that stay of execution, if you will, was granted by Roadside Attractions. They are a company that strives to make a small carbon footprint in getting the word out.  They're using what is left of the print media and the frontier of electronic media. There's no allotment for plastering posters, not a single billboard, no television advertisements. There are previews in theaters and online.  But otherwise their methods are mostly word-of-mouth."

Actor Dale Dickey as Merab in "Winter's Bone." Photo: Sebastian Mlynarski, courtesy of Roadside Attractions

In addition to forging a solid relationship with Roadside Attractions, Granik acknowledges the importance of creative alliances in taking on something as daunting as an independent feature: "We view ourselves as a huge, connected collaboration," she says. "We feel really lucky for our association with our distributor, but at the same time we, that is independent filmmakers, tend to live in a state of fear that we are an extinct species, like many other groups of people and animals. Making this film brought home in the most forceful way possible that you need to have amazing people around you at all times. You need to feel great about your team. They all have to be in an allied state with you and your vision. You have to be realistic with the crew about how much they will be needed, what they will be doing, the amenities available. It's arduous work. It's much like mobilizing a small army corp of engineers. You need to be outstandingly fortified by and with your collaborators. I felt like that was in place for this shoot and I always want that to be part of my working life."

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