Winter’s Bone Contextualised

Debra Granik uses the desolate environment of the rural Ozarks and silence in the film to create an atmosphere of horror that permeates through the film’s adventure/thriller plot line. The use of sound design is minimalist, choosing often to not include the composed score by Dickon Hinchliffe, but when it is used it is done so to build tension between characters in a subtle way. For example, in the opening scene a gentle folk song plays, but we cannot hears any diegetic sounds in the scene except fro the creaking of a trampoline. This creates an eerie atmosphere and establishes Ree’s situation as a dark, unusual one. It establishes the protagonist as someone who has never had a childhood. Tension is also created when the Sheriff visits by using on;y the diegetic sounds of his footsteps and the clanging of distant bells. Low groaning sounds are used at time to convey Ree’s rising fear as events in her life take a turn, giving a depth to these moments. At other times, a prominent beating of a drum in the non-diegetic sound mix adds tension to the scene, such as when Teardrop destroys a car’s front window.

The cinematographer, Michael McDonough, elevates the sense of fear through a similarly minimal use of colour and a bleak production design. This can be seen in her time at school or the army recruitment office, where the colours surrounding her are more vibrant and eye-catching, in contrast to the lifeless, grey and bland colour pallet used throughout the rest of the film as Ree’s situation becomes more bleak and hopeless, which is conveyed through the similarly dull cinematography. This reaches a crescendo when the final, and most brutal scene of the film, takes place at night, only lit by moonlight. Granik creates villains in the story by presenting people like Teardrop with intense shadows across their faces combined with soft light to illuminate his weary features and gruff face. The camera movements are also calm, steady, and create a feeling in the audience that we are an observer to what is happening, which makes it more emotionally distressing as we see Ree go through these terrible situations. For example, when she is beaten unconscious and wakes up later, the slow, steady camera movements feel realistic, allowing the audience to become immersed in the tension of the scene.

The Ozark’s in Winter serve as a pathetic fallacy, emulating Ree’s deepening loss of control and safety. It also lends a chilled, bitter atmosphere to the film. It is made to be cold and isolated in its environment and the way the characters interact with each other, the Hillbilly stereotype played here with malicious connotations, showing sexism in the community and a quiet, secretive group of antagonists. Ree herself is isolated from them by acting as a strong female lead despite the way the females around her treat her or are treated by their husbands. The grim atmosphere and bleak prospects that Ree faces is also shown through the rural poverty, methamphetamine addiction, gang violence, domestic violence, metal illness and murder that exists within the community she lives in.

As additional contextual information , the film is based off the book of the same name, brought Jennifer Lawrence to wider notoriety amongst audiences, made $6 million at the U.S Box Office becoming an indie film success.