Winter's Bone (2010)

Winter's Bone (dir. Debra Granik) is one of those films that needs to steep in your thoughts before you truly realize its power. Set in the Ozarks of Missouri, it stars Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly, a beyond-her-years 17-year old looking after her two younger siblings, as her mother is mentally/emotionally incapacitated, and as her father, a meth cooker/dealer is missing, though required to appear in court. Since their father put their house up on bail, the need to find him becomes ever pressing as Ree questions his old cohorts and other people in town in her determination to have her family survive. And here comes the arsenal of genuinely terrifying 'redneck' characters. Amazing performance by John Hawkes who plays Ree's uncle Teardrop - a man who is basically the epitome of the dregs of society, yet underneath the menacing, violent exterior shows a glimmer of a heart of gold, to help his niece. Also Dale Dickey, who plays the matriarch of the local crime lord (?) who threatens Ree when she comes around asking too many questions. It has been a while since I noticeably cringed and feared for a character because of the unpredictable nature of the ones surrounding her...

And Jennifer Lawrence sets a new precedent for a female heroine - unflinchingly determined, compassionate and driven by the need to survive, she sets the mood and tone for this slow-burning, haunting film.