Review of Winter's Bone

I found it interesting, gripping, suspenseful to a point, yet slow and boring through a good part of it (a better score would've helped), and overall the film had a heavy depressing feel which makes sense, considering the subject matter. The trailer made it look much more of a thriller than it ended up being, which was probably my biggest disappointment. The acting was superb which is most likely what earned it many awards, as the actors made a lot out of a simple "a young woman trying to track down her bond-jumping father to save the family homestead" story. There was a significant subplot about southern family ties that I personally couldn't grasp, but it was believable within the context of the film. It does not follow any standard structure, leading to a rousing climax and a satisfying payoff, but that fits the story quite well, though we are definitely left wanting more, like losing a book with 10 pages left to read. 7/10