* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: [[spoiler:The fever dream, representing Ree's fears about losing the house. The surrealism and symbolism jibes with the gritty, documentary-like tone of the rest of the movie]]
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Even though initially Creator/JenniferLawrence [[StarMakingRole got all of the attention]] for her performance, Creator/JohnHawkes' performance as Teardrop gained a large amount of fans, and he eventually received a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
** Ree's best friend Gail is a very well-liked secondary character due to how much help she provides to Ree, even though she has some interesting issues of her own to deal with.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: [[spoiler:Teardrop giving the chicks to Ree's siblings to take care of. Especially poignant, given the [[CrapsackWorld sheer hell]] of the rest of the movie.]]
* LesYay: Ree and her friend Gail in the book, where they practiced kissing each other when they were younger.
* {{Squick}}:
** [[spoiler:After being led to her father's body, submerged in a swamp, Ree has to hold his hands while another person cuts them off with a chainsaw, as she has to present the hands to the police to prove that her father is dead and get the bond released.]]
** Ree teaching her siblings how to skin a squirrel carcass.
* StoicWoobie: Ree, so very, very much.
-----