A low-budget indie thriller-turned-Oscar-nominated success, Debra Granik’s drama profits from Jennifer Lawrence’s career breakthrough performance.
17-year-old Ree (Lawrence) is desperately seeking her father, who disappeared after using the family home as security for his bail. Faced with the possibility of losing her home, Ree challenges her outlaw kin’s code of silence and risks her life to protect her younger siblings and sick mother. She hacks through the lies, evasions and threats offered by her relatives and begins to piece together the truth. Set in the forests of the Ozark Mountains, Granik’s impressive adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s acclaimed novel explores the economic hardships of life in this region. And Lawrence is superb, by turns taciturn and determined, she perfectly captures Ree’s headstrong spirit. It’s a stunning achievement by the director who would go on to make the equally riveting Leave No Trace.
★★★★ “A backwoods classic” - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
★★★★★ “A truly standout piece of work” - Philip Wilding, Empire
