How far does 'Winter's Bone' rely upon an understanding of it's social context? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from the film. (20)
How far does 'Winter's Bone' rely upon an understanding of it's social context? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from the film. (20)
The film, 'Winter's Bone', relies heavily on it's social context relating to the poverty of the Ozarks and the patriarchal society that the characters live in. For example, in the opening sequence where we are introduced to Ree who we see caring for her siblings outside, the scene has some non-diegetic music playing over it which consists of only soft female vocals. The singer's strong Texan accent and soulful vocals links to the musical culture of the area. The simplicity of the music also highlights the blandness of people's lives and the dull cycle that the characters go through everyday. This introduces this setting as quite different to the audience, introducing an active form of viewing for them as they must question how appropriate their living standards are.
The mise-en-scene is used to show the dependency upon patriarchy in this society. For example, around the base of the house there are old toys and appliances that have been thrown and left there. This gives the house a messy and cluttered appearance, suggesting that order is an issue in this particular household. We know that Ree's father is no longer living in this house. Therefore, implying that with the lack of a male in the house, the remaining females and children struggle to keep everything in order, emphasising the decency upon patriarchy in this society. The costumes also highlight the lack of order without men. For example, the children are wearing mis-matched clothes which seem to be dirty. This is also another example of lack of control within the family as it gives the impression that the children have no choice in what they wear. This reiterates the idea that without their father, the children lose certain privileges due to the lack of order in the house. The clothes that the children are wearing also seem quite insulated implying that they are trying to stay warm. Whilst adding to the sense of verisimilitude, this gives the audience the impression that the children are out in the cold a lot of the time, suggesting that they may have to do more adult work outside that the average children, causing the audience to question their safety within this social context, extending their active viewing. Ree's costume makes her seem quite masculine, as she wears baggy jeans and a baggy coat with dark colours such as dark green. This highlights the idea that Ree feels, in order to stay in control, she has to step into a man's shoes, as she is unable to fulfil that role as a woman. This further emphasises the patriarchal society that the film is set in. The theme of patriarchy in the film forces modern audiences to have an opinion on the dependency upon men, as it is a debatable topic when audiences are aware of feminism and women's rights. Therefore, allowing the audience to become active viewers and questions the rules of society in the film. The idea that Ree, as a 17 year old girl, is acting as the parent for her siblings also makes it difficult for the audience to relate and align with her, as it is out of the ordinary for the average audience. Therefore, this forces the audience to be active viewers whilst watching as they are questioning the morality and safety of their lifestyle, enabling them to understand the social context.
In conclusion, the mise-en-scene and the way the characters are used in the sequence emphasise the patriachy and lack of order or safety, in terms of social context. This allows the audience to become active viewers as they are forced to question behaviours that are out of the ordinary, and are unable to relate to the characters. This will result in them empathising with Ree and understand the issues with these conditions, as she continues to struggle through them later in the film.
The film, 'Winter's Bone', relies heavily on it's social context relating to the poverty of the Ozarks and the patriarchal society that the characters live in. For example, in the opening sequence where we are introduced to Ree who we see caring for her siblings outside, the scene has some non-diegetic music playing over it which consists of only soft female vocals. The singer's strong Texan accent and soulful vocals links to the musical culture of the area. The simplicity of the music also highlights the blandness of people's lives and the dull cycle that the characters go through everyday. This introduces this setting as quite different to the audience, introducing an active form of viewing for them as they must question how appropriate their living standards are.
The mise-en-scene is used to show the dependency upon patriarchy in this society. For example, around the base of the house there are old toys and appliances that have been thrown and left there. This gives the house a messy and cluttered appearance, suggesting that order is an issue in this particular household. We know that Ree's father is no longer living in this house. Therefore, implying that with the lack of a male in the house, the remaining females and children struggle to keep everything in order, emphasising the decency upon patriarchy in this society. The costumes also highlight the lack of order without men. For example, the children are wearing mis-matched clothes which seem to be dirty. This is also another example of lack of control within the family as it gives the impression that the children have no choice in what they wear. This reiterates the idea that without their father, the children lose certain privileges due to the lack of order in the house. The clothes that the children are wearing also seem quite insulated implying that they are trying to stay warm. Whilst adding to the sense of verisimilitude, this gives the audience the impression that the children are out in the cold a lot of the time, suggesting that they may have to do more adult work outside that the average children, causing the audience to question their safety within this social context, extending their active viewing. Ree's costume makes her seem quite masculine, as she wears baggy jeans and a baggy coat with dark colours such as dark green. This highlights the idea that Ree feels, in order to stay in control, she has to step into a man's shoes, as she is unable to fulfil that role as a woman. This further emphasises the patriarchal society that the film is set in. The theme of patriarchy in the film forces modern audiences to have an opinion on the dependency upon men, as it is a debatable topic when audiences are aware of feminism and women's rights. Therefore, allowing the audience to become active viewers and questions the rules of society in the film. The idea that Ree, as a 17 year old girl, is acting as the parent for her siblings also makes it difficult for the audience to relate and align with her, as it is out of the ordinary for the average audience. Therefore, this forces the audience to be active viewers whilst watching as they are questioning the morality and safety of their lifestyle, enabling them to understand the social context.
In conclusion, the mise-en-scene and the way the characters are used in the sequence emphasise the patriachy and lack of order or safety, in terms of social context. This allows the audience to become active viewers as they are forced to question behaviours that are out of the ordinary, and are unable to relate to the characters. This will result in them empathising with Ree and understand the issues with these conditions, as she continues to struggle through them later in the film.
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