Winter's Bone (2010)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A poverty-stricken teenage girl in the rural Ozarks must navigate a dangerous underworld to find her missing father and save her family from homelessness.
The story
In the rural Ozarks of Missouri, seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly cares for her mentally ill mother and two younger siblings while living in a state of destitution. When her father, Jessup, fails to appear for a court date, the family faces the immediate threat of losing their home. Ree embarks on a perilous journey through the local community to locate him. She navigates a landscape of meth-addicted relatives and local crime figures, facing physical danger and intimidation as she seeks the truth about his whereabouts and the status of their land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the rural Ozarks of Missouri, seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly cares for her mentally ill mother, Connie, and her two younger siblings, Sonny and Ashlee. The family is destitute, and their home is at risk because Ree's father, Jessup, is out on bail for manufacturing meth. When the sheriff warns that the house will be seized if Jessup fails to appear for court, Ree sets out to find him. She navigates a dangerous landscape, seeking information from her meth-addicted uncle Teardrop and the local crime boss, Thump Milton. After being beaten by Milton's associates, she is told by Teardrop that her father was likely killed for being an informant. Eventually, the women of Milton's family take Ree to a pond where her father's body is submerged. They have her retrieve his hands to serve as proof of death for the authorities. Ree presents the hands to the sheriff, securing the bond. The film ends with Ree and her siblings on the porch, where Ashlee plays their father's banjo.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Debra Granik
- Writers
- Debra Granik · screenplay; Anne Rosellini · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Lawrence · Ree Dolly; John Hawkes · Teardrop; Kevin Breznahan; Dale Dickey; Garret Dillahunt; Sheryl Lee; Tate Taylor; Isaiah Stone · Ree's younger brother; Ashlee Thompson · Ree's sister
- Genres
- Southern Gothic; coming-of-age; tragedy; crime drama; independent; neo-noir
- Themes
- Family loyalty; Survival; Poverty; Coming-of-age
- Tone and mood
- Somber; Intense; Gritty
- Setting
- Rural Ozarks of Missouri
- Premise and plot tags
- Crime; Drama; Mystery; Survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2006 novel by Daniel Woodrell
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, particularly for Jennifer Lawrence's performance, and was a commercial success relative to its budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 90 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Film · Sundance Film Festival · 2010 · Win; Best Screenplay · Sundance Film Festival · 2010 · Win; Best Feature · Gotham Awards · 2010 · Win; Best Ensemble Performance · Gotham Awards · 2010 · Win; Best Picture · Academy Awards · Nomination; Best Adapted Screenplay · Academy Awards · Nomination; Best Actress in a Leading Role · Academy Awards · Nomination; Best Supporting Actor · Academy Awards · Nomination; Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination; Outstanding Leading Actress · Screen Actors Guild Awards · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The script was voted 98th in the WGA's 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century.; The film was ranked number 99 on Rolling Stone's list of 'The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century' in 2025.; The film's script was praised for its 'specific dialogue and mountain speak'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…