DG The first thing that comes to mind — the overarching concept — is the word "and." Ree Dolly can have a chemically dependent uncle who's a big problem, and he has some very intense loyalties to the family in his own gnarly, difficult, convoluted, tragic way. [The film isn't trying to] make an ethical or puritanical judgment on drug taking or anything. This has left her in a very raw and difficult position, and she's got really intense family values of her own. She cares about her two siblings. So I think people recognize the and. That's our hope — that audiences will vibe off the and of the whole thing.

WINTER'S BONE opens Fri/18 in Bay Area theaters.