2010 - Winter's Bone

A highlight of any Oscar fan's trip to Los Angeles will undoubtedly be the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. I enjoyed such an outing last week when I attended the museum's third anniversary celebrations. After watching a special screening of Chaplin's The Gold Rush, I ventured into the exhibitions to absorb all I could. It was my second time visiting the museum, but as ever, I remained as intoxicated by the movie magic on display. Of particular interest were the spotlights on Casablanca and The Godfather, which housed Sam's piano and Don Corleone's desk, among other treasures.

Perhaps the most thrilling section for me, though, was the room dedicated to the Oscars ceremony itself. Various acceptance speeches are played on big screens surrounding a central display cabinet that provides a chronological history of the Academy Awards. Several past winners' Oscars are on display, as well as other artefacts, including presenters' envelopes and Oscar night programs. In the end, I ran out of time to see everything, so another visit seems imminent.

Moving on now to another contender from 2010's Best Picture showdown...


Winter's Bone
Director:
Debra Granik
Screenplay:
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
(based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell)
Starring:
Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Sheryl Lee, Lauren Sweetser, Tate Taylor
Academy Awards:
4 nominations
0 wins

In rural Missouri, Ree (Lawrence) is warned that her father is out on bail, but if he doesn't show up for his trial, the state will seize his house, meaning Ree and her ill mother and two younger siblings will have nowhere to live. Ree sets out to find out what happened to her father only to encounter a series of unsavoury characters in the meth business, all of whom want her to stop sticking her nose into their affairs.

Seemingly representative of the small town in which it's set, Winter's Bone maintains a slow-paced attitude, allowing the viewer to sink into an intensely uneasy atmosphere. Scene after scene is full of superbly executed tension, thanks to some deft direction by Debra Granik.

But if it's an uplifting story you're after, you'd best look elsewhere. Despite an essentially positive ending for the lead character, the film is brimming with truly awful characters, some of whom seem downright irredeemable. With the exception of our protagonist (though, she has her own flaws) and one or two others, almost everyone seems caught in a constant power struggle, obsessed with asserting their authority over others with displays of assholery, both verbal and physical. Ultimately, this is a study of the nasty side of the human condition.

The cast all live up to the challenge of playing the most atrocious characters they can muster and, while this constant humourless intensity sometimes feels a bit two-dimensional, some of the actors manage to bring added dimension to their portrayals, particularly John Hawkes (pictured) who earned himself a Best Supporting Actor nomination as the violent but conflicted uncle. Joining him on Oscar night was Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout role, becoming the second-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time (though she's since been bumped down to third). The film also garnered nods for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.