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In the prescribed list for movies for Leaving Cert, Winter’s Bone by Debra Granik is listed.
Winter’s Bone presents everything against a bleak, menacing backdrop. The 17 yr old female protagonist,Ree, visits various people in turn, who are either drug addicts, offering drugs (to said minor) or snorting Cocaine in front of her.There are gory scenes of animal skinning and violence perpetrated on Ree by men and women. In one scene, young Ree has a glass thrown at her face and is dragged by her hair and slapped (by other women). There are scenes of vandalism where a window screen is smashed with an axe. In another scene, Ree and two accomplices use a chainsaw to hack off a dead man’s hands (Ree’s father’s hands).
Verdict: Horrible, disturbing movie! This is NOT good Art. This NEEDS to be removed from the curriculum. This is what happened in my home when my family and I sat down to watch it:
After 15 mins, my 19 yr old son left the room mumbling: “What IS this -that’s disturbing….!”. He did not return. My 14 yr old daughter scuttled out the door a few minutes later saying “I don’t like this…”. My 21 yr old son said: “This is sick and disgusting -why are we watching this rubbish?!”. He exited the room and finally, my husband turned to me and said: “I don’t EVER want us subjecting our children to material like this again.......!"
We didn’t even watch the chainsaw scene,thank goodness…
(Elaine, Co.Louth)
Verdict of irishparents: Not suitable for viewing in the classroom due to the violence and disturbing scenes involving animal skinning and the desecration of a corpse.