Winter's Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)

The white-trash backwaters of the States get another pasting in a story of a 17-year-old girl (an able Jennifer Lawrence) left to look after her siblings and inert mother after her drug-addicted father disappears prior to his court hearing, leaving the family facing the imminent loss of their house. She sets off determinedly in search of him and encounters outright hostility from most of the community, even her own relatives. It's a desolate and cold environment, in terms both physical and human, and when any glimmer of warmth does manifest itself you'll seize it with helpless relief. The lack of sentimentality throughout is an asset, but probably not appreciated by the Missouri tourist board.

6/10