A reading of No Country Old Men would benefit from an ideological approach of chance, as the film contains many underlying themes that require an active spectatorship to realise. The film focuses much on the role of chance in the fates of its characters, many of whom die or survive by sheer luck. Nothing is predetermined, many left up to random chance, seen in the use of the coin toss. Feminism would not be a good approach to take for this film, as there are few female protagonists, and the film does not pay much attention to gender roles, like Winter’s Bone.
For Winter’s Bone, a feminist ideological approach is valuable as the film strongly implies that to be the core of its message. The film follows female characters in a male-dominated community, and throughout the film overrides the patriarchal society through female characters taking initiative and control for themselves. An ideological approach of chance would not suit this film, as it does not focus on randomness or luck, etc.
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 