Winter's Bone (2010)

After finding out that unless her father turns up at his next court case, her family will lose the house, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) has to find him. There are many people completely against Ree finding her father, making it all the more difficult. Between caring for her family and searching for her father, it's a miracle she can carry on at all. To be honest, I only watched this film to see how good an actress Jennifer Lawrence is as she'd been casted as one of my favourite characters, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. But one thing I noticed quickly is how similar both Katniss and Ree are. Both were left by their fathers with unhelpful mothers to look after the family and become the head of the house. Both films were based on a book and though I haven't read Winter's Bone: A Novel, I've only heard good things about it. Another film not for the faint hearted, it's difficult to believe that there are people who have to go through what the Dolly family does. The acting itself was brilliant and was more than enough to mimic the harsh reality of growing up despite the harsh difficulties thrust on such young shoulders. If you're looking for a film to teach you about one of the many sub-cultures of North America, this film is definitely it. However, I'm sad to say that although the film was terribly informative, I couldn't really enjoy it as much as some people might have. Whether it was because of the way it was filmed or the over dramatisation of some reactions to situations, I won't ever be able to call myself it's biggest fan. Though I disagree with the words of a friend, ("It teaches you that poor people are depressing"), I feel that the ultimate reality of the film isn't something you can really enjoy without over thinking.