I found this, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, to be the perfect modern film noir. When 17 year old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers that her father has put up the family home for his bail, she embarks on an dark adventure through the Ozark wilderness to find him. This role made Jennifer Lawrence a star, and won her an Oscar nomination. Entertainment Weekly: “One of the unshowiest and most true-blooded epics of Americana you’re ever likely to see.” Nominations, include Best Picture, Screenplay, Actress. Rated R for some drug material, language and violent content.

Critical Acclaim:

Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert:

The movie heroes who affect me most are not extroverted. They don’t strut, speechify and lead armies. They have no superpowers. They are ordinary people who are faced with a need and rise to the occasion. Ree Dolly is such a hero.

Rolling Stone, Peter Travers:

Winter’s Bone is unforgettable. It means to shake you, and does.

Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum:

One of the unshowiest and most true-blooded epics of Americana you’re ever likely to see.

Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan:

Intense, immersive and in control, Winter’s Bone has an art house soul inside a B picture body, and that proves to be a potent combination indeed.

Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern:

Spectacular for its humanity, austere beauty and heart-stopping urgency.

Boston Globe, Ty Burr:

It’s those noir bones that give this social-realist drama its punch, as if Humphrey Bogart had been recast as a 17-year-old girl and dropped into the poorest corner of America.

Chicago Reader, J.R. Jones:

Winter’s Bone often seems to be unfolding in a world apart, with its own moral logic and codes of conduct. It might feel like prison if it weren’t so obviously home.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Steven Rea:

It’s been a long time since a film has conveyed a culture, and a sense of place, with such telling precision. At the same time, Winter’s Bone thrums with suspense.

USA Today, Claudia Puig:

Every so often a film gets under our skin with its haunting authenticity, reinforcing our faith in the wonderfully transporting power of cinematic storytelling. Winter’s Bone is unquestionably that film.