History Film / WintersBone

A 2010 film directed by Debra Granik, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell.

* TheUnreveal: While Teardrop does find out who killed Jessup, it's never revealed which, if any, of the characters Ree interacted with did it. Suspects Teardrop names in the book include Little Arthur, Sleepy John (who may have been the man who contributed cash in addition to the Dolly land on order to ensure that Jessup got bailed out of jail, possibly out of friendship, possibly to make him easier to kill), Buster Leroy, and Cotton Milton and Sleepy John (all of whom are among the crowd in Thump's barn after Ree gets beaten up).

* CrapsackWorld: The Ozarks are presented as a really terrible place to live.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Ree saves the family home and gets a fat chunk of cash in the process. However, her father is dead, she's left to raise her siblings alone, and her uncle will probably get himself killed while taking revenge.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: Jessup abandons his family to fend for themselves. Ree's mother's insanity could also be seen as a version of this.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/winters_bone_3477.jpg]]

* ThePatriarch: Thump has been described as an "Evil [[DukesOfHazzard Uncle Jesse"]].

* SouthernGothic: The setting is an unfriendly, twisted town with an eerie swamp full of twisted decay nearby.

** Teardrop is a real bastard in the beginning of the film, but shows stronger family loyalty toward the end, despite also being somewhat AxCrazy.

The film and novel share some similarities with the story of [[Theatre/Antigone Antigone]] since [[spoiler: both female protagonists have to bury their relatives and must undergo a 'test' of sorts while journeying to do so]] received very positive reviews (garnering a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 on Metacritic) and Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal was especially praised (this was two years before she became famous as Katniss Everdeen).

The film and novel share some similarities with the story of [[Theatre/Antigone Antigone and her attempts to secure a proper burial for her deceased brother]]. It received very positive reviews (garnering a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 on Metacritic) and Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal was especially praised (this was two years before she became famous as Katniss Everdeen).

A 2010 thriller film directed by Debra Granik, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell.

A 2010 film directed by Debra Granik, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell.

[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/winters_bone_3477.jpg]]

* TheCastShowoff: One of the songs on the soundtrack, "Bred and Buttered", was written and performed by Creator/JohnHawkes.

* FilmNoir: Very much of the Neo-Realist variety. The plot is, in many ways, about a protagonist pursuing a seemingly straight-forward case (bonus points for it being a missing person case) that turns out to be more complicated and dangerous than expected.

** The soldier Ree talks to is a real-life Army recruiter. Their conversation was unscripted, and he responded to her inquiries as if talking to a real recruit.

* TheGhost: [[spoiler:Jessup Dolly]].

* FilmNoir: Very much of the Neo-Realist variety. The plot is, in many ways, about a protagonist pursuing a missing person case that turns out to be more complicated and dangerous than expected.

* FilmNoir: Very much of the Neo-Realist variety.

The film was nominated for a number of UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s including Best Picture, despite its modest commercial success and lack of star power - at the time. Jennifer Lawrence was still fairly unknown.

* UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents: Most characters speak in an Ozark accent, which is very similar to Appalachian, softened slightly by Midwest influences.

* AmericanAccents: Most characters speak in an Ozark accent, which is very similar to Appalachian, softened slightly by Midwest influences.

The film was nominated for a number of AcademyAwards including Best Picture, despite its modest commercial success and lack of star power - at the time. Jennifer Lawrence was still fairly unknown.

JenniferLawrence stars as 17-year-old Ree Dolly. With an absent father and a mentally ill mother, Ree is left to raise her two young siblings in a rural, Ozark community. One day, she learns that her father has put up the family home for his jail bond and disappeared. If Ree does not locate him within a few days, the family will be evicted. As Ree begins asking questions about her father's fate, she encounters increasingly violent resistance from local residents, all of whom are wrapped up in the meth trade.

* TheCastShowoff: One of the songs on the soundtrack, "Bred and Buttered", was written and performed by JohnHawkes.