Overview
The opening sequence of Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010) establishes the eminently feminist viewpoint within an ‘anti-feminist’ world that is presented over the course of the film. We are introduced to Ree Dolly, a poverty-stricken young woman who takes care of her family made up of her two siblings and catatonic mother in the mountainous Ozark region of Missouri. The underlying ‘McGuffin’ that drives the film’s narrative is also established in the sequence, being the unknown whereabouts of Ree’s father, Jessop. The sequence also establishes the precedent of not conforming to the ‘male gaze’ that typically pervades throughout Hollywood. Ree is not sexualised at any point, and the main narrative occurrences are from the voices and actions of women. The men in the film, such as Teardrop and the sheriff, merely act as a hindrance to Ree’s journey.
Key Elements, Context, and Representation
The film opens with a non-diegetic lullaby, immediately connoting a sense of intimate maternity. Cutting to a wide shot, the children are framed behind the bars of a bed-frame — symbolising the notion that they are trapped within their environment. This opening sequence also conveys the cyclical nature of nurturing – Ashlee takes care of her toy kitten, implying the idea that she herself has been nurtured by Ree. Throughout the sequence, mise-en-scène is implemented within the domestic landscape, being littered with waste and abandoned items. This, alongside the characters clothing being ragged and humble, emphasises the poverty-stricken way of life Ree and her family leads.
The viewer witnesses Ree competently attending to an array of domestic tasks throughout the opening sequence, such as chopping wood and cooking. This indicates that Ree does not conform to typical gender roles typically presented throughout the Hollywood landscape, accentuated by her baggy non-gendered clothing. Ree is not sexualised in any way throughout the film, standing her ground against the male characters that attempt to hinder her goals. Similarly, Ashlee and Sonny have notably androgynous appearances, implying that gender does not factor into how these children are to be nurtured by Ree.
All of the opening scenes are presented to the audience through the use of a handheld camera, as to illustrate an authentic depiction of reality. The film is also shot entirely on location, as to convey an accurate representation of life in the Ozarks. Interestingly, the cast of the film swapped clothes with the local residents of the Ozarks, further preserving the authenticity of the location. Furthering this, the film does not employ any deliberate blocking, which can be seen through Ree’s face being partially obscured by the clothes hanging on the line. This reinforces Debra Granik priority of emphasising naturalism over choreography.
Ree is forced to take on a maternal role, in which her siblings look up to her as a mother figure. Her appearance starkly contrasts that of Ilsa in Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942), as the film portrays women in a much more empowering light. The house itself has no beds – the children are forced to sleep on chairs. Ree also cooks breakfast using lard, a cheaper alternative to oil, reinforcing the poverty-stricken way of life the family leads. An interesting role reversal also occurs when Ree combs her mother’s hair, a typical action performed by a mother to her daughter. This emphasises the multi-faceted familial duties that Ree is burdened with attending to.
During the scene when Ree drops off her siblings at school, a closeup of Ree peering into the classroom is displayed. She glances longingly behind the closed door, illustrating Ree’s wistfulness towards rekindling her lost innocence. Afterwards, Ree meets Sonya to discuss her horse, she is framed in a child-like manner than starkly juxtaposes Sonya’s grizzled appearance – she has been hardened by the strenuous way of life in the Ozarks. The film could also be argued as a feminist film at this point, due to the Bechdel test being passed at this early point in the film: Ree and Sonya are two named women having a conversation about horses, unrelated to men.
The sequence concludes with the sudden arrival of the sheriff, who informs Ree about Jessop’s upcoming court appearance and the risk of her house being sold in order to cover his bail bond. During this scene, an ominous non-diegetic composed score underlies the tense gravitas of the situation. Ree stands her ground confidently, addressing the sheriff with confident remarks such as “I’ll find him”. We view the situation from Ree’s empowered perspective, highlighting the difficulty she faces in a patriarchal society from a viewpoint of oppression.
Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog 