Winter's Bone summary

• The costume is a huge part of the film in that it was all second hand and worn clothing, and clothing that was owned by locals.
• The film surrounds a patriarchal society however the storyline relies on volatile and resilient women.
• The running of the society relies on kin based loyalties and deep set grudges.
• there is a consensus that something shady has gone on and everybody knows about it, it relies on the audience to decide what they thing has happened- there is also a sense that what has happened doesn't actually matter as much as the understanding of the reaction to it.
• Chiaroscuro is used throughout to create characters with an internal dark side.
• The area is consumed with addiction specifically to crystal meth which creates a whole new hierarchy and set of rules. 
• The community is blighted by poverty and low opportunity.
• There is an underlying urgency based around financial instability and a constant worry of poverty.
• There's tension in every dialogue.
• The lack of non-diegetic sound means the film requires active spectatorship because there is no music to tell you what you're supposed to feel. The audience is free to think for themselves.
• The set was not built specifically in any instance and some of the houses were real family homes.
• Many of the characters were amateur actors or even non-actors.