The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a poverty-stricken teenage girl named Ree Dolly in the rural Ozarks of Missouri who must locate her missing father to save her family from homelessness.

Winter's Bone received critical acclaim upon release, with high praise directed towards Lawrence's performance.

In the rural Ozarks of Missouri, seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly looks after her mentally ill mother, Connie, twelve-year-old brother Sonny, and six-year-old sister Ashlee.

Sheriff Baskin tells Ree that if her father does not appear for his court date, they will lose the house because it was put up as part of his bond.

She starts with her meth-addicted uncle Teardrop and continues to more distant kin, eventually trying to talk to the local crime boss, Thump Milton.

Milton refuses to see her; the only information Ree comes up with are warnings to leave the situation alone and stories that Jessup died in a meth lab fire or skipped town to avoid the trial.

The women place a sack on her head and drive her to a pond, where they row to the shallow area where her father's submerged body lies.

The website's critics consensus states: "Bleak, haunting, and yet still somehow hopeful, Winter's Bone is writer-director Debra Granik's best work yet — and it boasts an incredible, starmaking performance from Jennifer Lawrence.

[6] Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, praising Lawrence's steely "hope and courage" that remains optimistic despite her tribulations, and calling attention to Granik's direction that avoids passing moral judgment on the characters or descending into stereotypes.

[7] Reviewer Peter Travers found the film "unforgettable," writing in Rolling Stone, "Granik handles this volatile, borderline horrific material with unblinking ferocity and feeling....

"[8] Critic James Berardinelli said that "Winter's Bone is a welcome reminder that thrillers don't have to be loud and boisterous to grab the attention and keep it captive.

[11] Winter's Bone was highly rated in many critics end-of-year lists, and Metacritic ranked it in second place for the year, only behind The Social Network.