Is there a killer app on the iPhone to help Rui find his father? Can she send text messages to relatives and friends for news? The problem-solving methods that American teenagers take for granted have nothing to do with Rui. She lives in the Ozark Mountains in southwest Missouri. No one is seen using a mobile phone in the whole movie. Naturally, there is no way to talk about the iPhone, and even the phone has never appeared in the camera. She doesn't have a car, so she can only rely on her feet to trek in the valley, searching family by family, hoping to find the whereabouts of her father. Even in winter, the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains can still be seen, but following Rui's footsteps, the human landscape that the audience sees is only poverty. Everyone lives in a house like ruins, and the open space in front of each house is no different from a recycling station for waste materials. When most people in the United States are worried about eating too much meat, Rui and his younger siblings must worry about consuming enough animal protein. They can only aim their shotguns at the squirrels in the woods. Most Americans don't touch the internal organs of animals, but the younger brother wants to ask Rui, "Shall we eat the intestines?" --- the intestines of squirrels. Rui replied, "Not yet."
I have been to the Ozark Mountains twice, once to film a Porsche sports car gathering in the spa town of Eureka, Arkansas, and the other time to the main city, Springfield, Missouri. The mountain life I saw is not very different from other places in the United States. Springfield was also rated as "the best place to raise children in the United States." In terms of statistics, the Ozark area is certainly not wealthy, but there are also places to be proud of. Wal-Mart headquarters is nearby. The locals have introduced that there are some traditional families living in the deep mountains of Ozark. They are very poor and lead a tribal life, passed on from generation to generation. The Rui family may be the kind of mountain people I can't get in touch with in real life and can only gain indirect understanding through art works. Latino? Black person? Indians? No, they are white Americans.
There are not many job opportunities available in the deep mountains. There may have been mining and logging in the past, but now only ice production. The source of the spread of methamphetamine (crystal meth) in the United States comes from places in the Midwest, where the population density is relatively small and the economy is sluggish. The good guys only need simple processing equipment to open a methamphetamine workshop at home. The raw materials are pharmacies without a prescription. Cold medicine available. This kind of drug is highly medicinal and highly addictive. The Ozark in the movie shots looked like a paradise for making methamphetamine. Every family that Miss Rui has visited is part of the paradise. They either make drugs, sell drugs, or at least take drugs. Rui's father, Jessup, also caused the lawsuit because of drugs. After he was arrested, he used his real estate as collateral to get a chance to be released on bail pending trial. If you fail to appear in court on time, the property will be confiscated. In Rui's words, the consequence is that the whole family can only live like dogs. If Jessup is no longer alive, then the lawsuit will be settled. Rui only had a week to meet his father, to see people alive, and a corpse when he died.
Rui couldn't avoid conflicts with drug networks in the process of searching for his father. Everyone advised and even warned Rui not to ask everywhere. Good-hearted people give her some money and food, and some people provide marijuana cigarettes. She has to walk a long mountain road, and marijuana helps relieve fatigue. Uncle Teardrop asked if he wanted to take some methamphetamine, but Rui refused. Some people started to beat their children and proposed to adopt Rui's brother. Everyone can't or dare to provide clues about their father. Walking through the hidden drug network, Rui's only reason for seeking help is blood relationship. All the main characters in the movie have blood ties. She asked everyone, aren’t we all relatives? Is there no common ingredient in our blood? Is blood relative not worth a penny in your eyes?
The creators did not intend to use Rui's experience to earn tears. She didn't sink because of being surrounded by suffering, all she did was to go upstream, stubbornly looking for any possible vitality. Rui's persistence and determination in the movie has never wavered. When she was beaten or even faced with life threatening, she was not weak, but just asked, "You are going to kill me?" There was only one scene as an exception. Her mother's eyesight looked good, but her mind was in confusion and her eyes never had a focus. Rui Qi begs her mother to look at herself and provide herself with a little bit of advice on decision-making. The house is likely to be confiscated, and some people suggest to sell it first. Sell or not? Rui doesn't know what to do... The audience may feel reluctant to watch this situation, but Rui herself is still very strong. She knows in her heart that the answer cannot be obtained from anyone else, including her mother. She can only rely on herself.
Where is the government? Where is the social assistance? The poverty problem that has always existed in the United States has never been fundamentally resolved. Reagan famously said that the United States has waged a war against poverty, and poverty has won victory. If they grow up in a very tightly woven poverty network, it is unlikely that the younger generation will eventually break free. The only way Rui can think of is to join the army and receive a subsidy of US$40,000 for five years of service. This road is also difficult to follow. She has not reached the adult standard set by the US government. If the guardian's consent is required to join the army, she can't even find a signer. In addition, once the army leaves, who will take care of the younger siblings?
"The Winter Bones" was filmed with digital high-definition video equipment Red, and the cost was only 2 million US dollars, which can only be regarded as an independent small production. It has a short period of screening in movie theaters, and the U.S. box office earned just over 6 million U.S. dollars. Although this film is a fictional feature film, it is mainly suitable for audiences who love documentaries. The work shows the charm of American realism: telling the stories of daily life clearly can often constitute an exquisite work of art. , No whitewashing, no exaggeration, no unpredictable philosophy. Woody Allen basically doesn't watch Hollywood blockbusters. In an interview with the "New York Times" not long ago, he said that after watching "Winter Bones" recently, he particularly liked it. All the actors are very good. Indeed, all the actors in the movie are very good. Together they show a marginalized group in an unknown corner of the United States. Among them, the young actor Jennifer Laurence who plays Rui is exceptional. I predict that she will definitely be nominated for the best actress Oscar next year.
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