Winter's Bone

[Shuteye]

But it's also the type of film I would hesitate to own on DVD. It's not something I would pop into the player on a Saturday night for entertainment purposes.

I bought the movie today. I'll be watching it again. I don't want it to fade from my memory to be forever lost. Agreed, not a movie for Saturday popcorn night with the kids.

But .... this movie moves me much more so than "Braveheart" for instance. Teardrop's understanding of the "justice" in his brother's death, and his eventual full support of his brother's daughter, regardless of the danger involved, is moving. The eventual support of the opposing family's women to Ree (the daughter), even after beating her is also moving. That they let Ree have the bond money at the end of the movie is also moving. It can't be taken in the context of Mayberry USA, no doubt, but in my opinion this is a story of courage and dedication to family in the face of the very real violence of the meth trade in a world that doesn't give you an easy out.

If Winter's Bone truly IS comparable to the clan system of the Scottish Highlands, the portrayal would certainly not be a romantic one, but very brutal, full of senseless expressions of some indecipherable code of honour that outsiders cannot relate to or understand, and acts of violence done in the name of the family or clan. If such a parallel is true, then the film is accurate.

I would venture that such a parallel is true regarding much that happened in Scotland in the days of Rob Roy. Throughout Winter's Bone is the thread of a code of honor that outsiders would find hard to understand were they not given the insight the movie provides.

Cinematically speaking, this movie is brilliantly directed, and the actors were exceptional. It is fully deserving of the awards it has received at the Berlin Film Festival, Sundance, Toronto, etc...

Agreed 100%!